HENRY    NORTHCOTE 


Henry  Northcote 

By    jM- 

JOHN  COLLIS  gjSTAITH 

Juthor  of  ^^ Broke  of  Covenden^^  ^^Miss  Dorothy 
Marvin"  etc. 


Boston 

HERBERT  B.  TURNER  &  CO, 

1906 


%i 


'*1 


Copyright,  1906 

By  John  Collis  Snaith 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 

London 


Published  September,  1906 

Second  Edition,  October   1,   1906 


COLONIAL  PRESS 

EUctroiyPed  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &f  Co. 

Boston,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

Shepherd's  Inn,  Fleet  Street 

II. 

Retrospection 

III. 

Summoning  the  Genie 

IV. 

Enter  Mr.  Whitcomb 

V. 

An  Aristocrat  of  Aristocrats 

VI. 

A  Prophecy        .        .        .        •        . 

VII. 

The  Offer  of  a  Brief    . 

VIII. 

Equity  a  Fruit  of  the  Gods 

IX. 

The  Brief  Withdrawn    . 

X. 

The  Ride  to  Norbiton    . 

XI. 

Mr.  Whitcomb's  Foibles  . 

XII. 

The  Faith  of  a  Siren     . 

XIII. 

Be  Bold,  Wary,  Fear  Not     . 

XIV. 

A  Jury  of  Two 

XV. 

Truth's  Champion    . 

XVI. 

A  Jury  of  One. 

XVII. 

Messrs.  Whitcomb  and  Whitcomb 

XVIII. 

To  the  Prison  .... 

XIX. 

The  Accused      .... 

XX. 

The  Interview  .... 

XXI. 

The  Talisman  Which  Transcend; 

PERIENCE               .... 

3  Ex- 

XXII. 

Life  or  Death  .... 

XXIII. 

Preparation      .... 

XXIV. 

The  Trial          .... 

XXV. 

Mr.  Weekes,  K.  C.    . 

XXVI. 

The  Plea 

XXVII. 

The  Peroration 

i:: 

111 


Q^ri/inn 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

PAGX 

XXVIII. 

The  Summing  Up    . 

. 

268 

XXIX. 

The  Verdict  .... 

. 

278 

XXX. 

Sir  Joseph  Brudenell  . 

. 

285 

XXXI. 

Mediocrity  versus  Genius  . 

. 

297 

XXXII. 

Mediocrity  Aspiring  to  Virtue. 

306 

XXXIII.' 

The  Highway  of  the  Many 

. 

313 

XXXIV. 

Magdalene  or  Delilah 

•        • 

320 

XXXV. 

Delilah 

341 

XXXVI. 

The  Honorable  Secretary 

351 

XXXVII. 

Indelible  Evidence 

363 

XXXVIII. 

Cleansing  Fire 

368 

XXXIX. 

Without  Fear  and  Without 

Stain  . 

380 

SHEPHERDS   INN,    FLEET   STREET 

North  COTE  sat  in  his  chambers  in  Shepherd's 
Inn.  Down  below  was  Fleet  Street,  in  the  thrall  of 
a  bitter  December  twilight.  A  heavy  and  pervasive 
thaw  pressed  its  mantle  upon  the  gaslit  air;  a 
driving  sleet  numbed  the  skin  and  stung  the  eyes 
of  all  who  had  to  face  it.  Pools  of  slush,  com- 
posed in  equal  parts  of-  ice,  water,  and  mud,  im- 
peded the  pavements.  They  invaded  the  stoutest 
boots,  submerged  those  less  resolute,  and  imposed 
not  a  little  inconvenience  upon  that  section  of  the 
population  which,  unaddicted  to  the  wearing  of 
boots,  had  dispensed  with  them  altogether. 

The  room  in  which  Northcote  kept  was  no  more 
than  a  large  and  draughty  garret,  which  abutted 
from  the  northern  end  of  a  crazy  rectangular  build- 
ing on  this  curious  byway  of  the  world's  afifairs. 
Only  a  few  decrepit  tiles,  a  handful  of  rotten  laths, 
and  a  layer  of  cracked  plaster  intervened  between 
him  and  the  night.  The  grate  had  no  fire  in  it; 
there  was  no  carpet  to  the  floor.  A  table  and  two 
chairs  were  the  sole  furniture,  and  in  a  corner 
could  be  heard  the  stealthy  drip  of  icy  water  as  it 
percolated  through  the  roof. 

The  occupant  of  the  room  sat  in  a  threadbare 
overcoat  with  the  collar  turned  up  to  his  ears.  His 
hands,  encased  in  a  pair  of  woollen  gloves,  which 
were  full  of  holes,  were  pressed  upon  his  knees; 


......      HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

a  pipe  was  Wweefi  his  teeth ;  and  while  he  sucked 
at  it  with  the  devout  patience  of  one  to  whom  it  has 
to  serve  for  everything  that  the  physical  side  of  his 
nature  craved,  he  stared  into  the  fireless  grate  with 
an  intensity  which  can  impart  a  heat  and  a  life  of 
its  own. 

Now  and  again  after  some  particularly  violent 
demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  weather  he  would 
give  a  little  stoical  shudder,  fix  the  pipe  in  the  op- 
posite corner  of  his  mouth,  and  huddle  away  invol- 
untarily from  the  draught  that  came  from  under  the 
door. 

Northcote  was  a  man  of  thirty  who  found  him- 
self face  to  face  with  starvation.  He  had  been  six 
years  at  the  bar.  Friendless,  without  influence,  ab- 
jectly poor,  he  had  chosen  the  common  law  side. 
Occasionally  he  had  been  able  to  pick  up  an  odd 
guinea  in  the  police  courts,  but  at  no  time  had  he 
earned  enough  to  meet  his  few  needs.  He  was  now 
contemplating  the  removal  of  the  roof  from  over 
his  head.  Its  modest  rental  was  no  longer  forth- 
coming; and  there  was  nothing  remaining  among 
his  worldly  possessions  which  would  induce  the 
pawnbroker,  the  friend  of  the  poor,  to  advance  it. 

"  I  wonder  how  those  poor  devils  get  on  who 
live  in  the  gutter,"  he  muttered,  grimly,  as  he 
shuddered  again.  "  You  will  soon  be  able  to  find 
an  answer  to  that  question,"  he  added,  as  he 
stamped  his  frozen  toes  on  the  hearthstone  and 
beat  his  fingers  against  his  knees. 

Quite  suddenly  he  was  lifted  out  of  the  abyss  of 
his  reflection  by  the  sound  of  a  footfall  in  the 
room.  Jerking  up  his  head,  he  peered  through  the 
darkness  towards  the  door  whence  the  sound  had 


SHEPHERD'S    INN,   FLEET    STREET 

come,  but  the  shadows  were  so  thick  that  he  could 
see  nothing. 

**  Hullo!"  he  called. 

"  Hullo ! "  came  back  a  wholly  unexpected  re- 
sponse. 

"Who  are  you?  What  do  you  want?"  cried 
Northcote,  with  a  thrill  in  his  voice. 

The  young  man  rose  to  his  feet  to  summon  the 
commoner  faculties.  For  a  voice  to  have  invaded 
his  garret  at  this  hour  and  in  this  fashion  seemed 
to  presage  a  new  epoch  to  his  life. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  demanded  again,  having 
received  no  reply  to  the  former  demand.  ^ 

"  Nobody  much,"  said  the  voice,  which  sounded 
unlike  anything  he  had  ever  heard  before. 

"  ni  strike  a  match  before  I  get  a  blow  from 
a  bludgeon." 

"  Pray  do  so,"  said  the  voice,  quietly. 

Northcote  began  to  fumble  for  the  matches  and 
found  them  on  the  mantelpiece.  He  obtained  a 
light  and  applied  it  to  the  wick  of  the  lamp  which 
was  on  the  table,  and  was  then  able  to  read  his 
visitor. 

The  flicker  of  the  lamp  declared  him  to  be  a  man 
of  forty,  of  pale  and  attenuated  figure,  clad  in  rags. 

"  To  what  am  I  indebted  for  the  honor  of  this 
visit  ?  "  said  Northcote,  with  slightly  overempha- 
sized politeness. 

"  Curiosity,  curiosity,"  muttered  his  visitor,  with 
the  quietness  of  one  who  is  acquainted  with  its 
value. 

Northcote  turned  up  the  lamp  to  its  highest  point 
and  resumed  his  scrutiny.  The  voice  and  manner 
were  those  of  a  man  of  education;    and  although 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

the  garb  was  that  of  a  scarecrow,  and  the  face  was 
wan  with  hunger  and  sHghtly  debased  by  suffering, 
a  strange  refinement  was  underlying  it. 

"  This  is  all  very  mysterious,"  said  the  young 
advocate ;  and  indeed  the  wretched  figure  that  con- 
fronted him  appeared  to  have  no  credentials  to 
present.     "  May  I  ask  who  and  what  you  are?  " 

"  How  race  reveals  itself !  "  said  the  visitor,  with 
a  faint  air  of  disappointment.  "  Even  the  higher 
types  among  us  cannot  cast  their  shackles  away. 
When  we  go  down  into  Hades,  we  are  at  once 
surrounded  by  the  damned  souls  of  our  country- 
men, clamoring  to  know  mho  and  what  we 
are." 

"  Well,  who  are  you,  at  any  rate?  "  said  North- 
cote,  oppressed  with  an  acute  sense  of  mystery. 

"  My  name  is  Iggs,"  said  the  scarecrow. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Iggs,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  to  me 
your  name  conveys  nothing." 

"No?" 

"No!" 

For  an  instant  the  scarecrow  peered  in  a  strange 
and  concentrated  manner  into  the  face  of  the  advo- 
cate. He  then  sighed  deeply  and  rose  from  his 
chair. 

"  With  all  the  learning  we  acquire  so  painfully," 
he  whispered,  "  we  cannot  enjoy  a  perfect  immunity 
from  error.  Good  night,  sir.  I  offer  my  apologies 
for  having  invaded  your  privacy." 

With  a  bow  of  grave  deference  the  strange  figure 
proceeded  to  glide  from  the  room  in  the  noiseless 
manner  in  which  it  had  entered  it. 

By  the  time  his  visitor  had  reached  the  door, 
Northcote  called  after  him  hastily :    "  Come  back, 

8 


SHEPHERD'S    INN,    FLEET    STREET 

Mr.  Iggs.  I  have  not  expressed  myself  —  not  ex- 
pressed myself  adequately.     Come  back." 

His  visitor,  with  the  same  air  of  deference  and 
the  same  noiselessness  of  movement,  returned  to 
the  chair.  Northcote  fixed  two  eyes  of  a  devour- 
ing curiosity  upon  his  bloodless  face.  They  re- 
coiled with  a  shock  of  encounter;  two  orbs  flaming 
out  of  it  in  all  their  sunken  brilliancy  had  looked 
within  them.  Also  he  beheld  a  mouth  whose  lips 
were  curved  with  the  divine  mobility  of  a  passion. 
The  advocate  clasped  his  hands  to  his  sides  to  re- 
press a  fierce  emotion  of  pain. 

"  Perhaps,  Mr.  Iggs,"  he  said,  "  you  have  been 
down  into  the  depths  of  the  sea  ?  " 

His  visitor  brushed  the  green  canopy  of  his 
mutilated  bowler  hat  slowly  and  delicately  upon 
the  threadbare  sleeve  of  his  coat. 

"  That  is  true,"  he  said;  "  but  I  would  have  you 
not  forget  that  I  have  also  walked  upon  the  peaks 
of  the  highest  mountains." 

The  roar  of  Fleet  Street,  the  sough  of  the  icy 
wind  through  the  telegraph  wires,  the  driving  of 
the  sleet  against  the  window,  and  the  drip  drip  of 
the  water  through  the  ceiling  seemed  to  blend  with 
the  rich  and  full  tones  enveloping  these  words.  A 
sensation  of  awe  began  to  surmount  the  pity  and 
the  patronage  that  the  outer  semblance  of  his  vis- 
itor had  first  aroused  in  the  breast  of  the  young 
man. 

"  With  your  permission,  sir,"  he  said,  "  I  will  go 
back  to  my  original  question,  and  I  will  frame  it 
with  a  deeper  sincerity :  To  what  does  Henry 
Northcote  owe  the  honor  of  this  visit  ?  " 

**  This  visit  is  paid  to  you,  my  friend,  because  for 

9 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

some  inscrutable  reason  Nature  mixed  blood  and 
fire  with  your  brains.  You,  too,  will  go  down  into 
the  depths  of  the  sea  and  ascend  also  into  the  moun- 
tain places." 

"  You  cannot  know  that,"  said  Northcote,  with 
his  heart  beginning  to  beat  violently. 

"  Reflect  a  moment,"  said  his  visitor.  "  Do  you 
not  know  as  well  as  I  that  it  is  the  privilege  of  us 
to  know  everything?" 

"  True,  true !  But  in  what  manner  has  one  so 
obscure  as  myself  been  brought  to  your  notice?  " 

**  Every  Sunday  afternoon  for  a  year  past  I  have 
been  a  member  of  the  audience  your  oratory  has 
enchanted  in  Hyde  Park." 

"  How  comes  it,  sir,  that  one  of  your  condition 
can  bring  himself  to  listen  to  a  mob  orator  ?  " 

"  How  comes  it  that  one  of  a  like  condition  can 
bring  himself  to  preach  to  the  mob  ?  " 

"  Primarily,  I  suppose,  that  my  powers  may  de- 
velop. One  day  I  shall  hope  to  turn  them  —  that 
is,  if  it  is  given  to  me  to  survive  the  present  snap 
of  cold  weather  —  to  higher  things  and  larger  is- 
sues." 

"  And  I,  my  friend,"  said  his  visitor,  "  who  by 
no  human  possibility  can  survive  the  present  snap 
of  cold  weather,  I  come  to  tell  the  young  Demos- 
thenes that  he  can  seek  no  higher  thing,  no  larger 
issue  than  to  preach  to  the  mob.  All  the  great  move- 
ments the  world  ever  saw  began  from  below.  The 
power  of  the  sea  lies  in  its  depths.  Jesus  was  able 
to  invent  a  religion  by  preaching  to  the  mob." 

"  There  are  some  who  think,"  said  the  young 
man,  "  that  for  one  who  was  ambitious  the  career 
of  Jesus  was  a  partial  failure." 

10 


SHEPHERD'S    INN,   FLEET    STREET 

"  The  age  is  crying  out  for  another  such  failure," 
said  his  visitor. 

"  Because  the  old  has  betrayed  them  ? "  said  the 
young  man,  with  fear  in  his  voice. 

His  visitor  left  the  question  unanswered. 

"  They  await  the  advent,"  he  said,  after  a  silence 
in  which  both  breathed  close,  "  of  a  second  Failure 
to  save  them  from  themselves.  Only  that  can  pre- 
vent them  dashing  out  their  brains  against  the  blank 
wall  that  has  come  to  stand  before  them." 

"  I  believe  you  to  be  right,  sir,"  said  the  advocate, 
slowly,  as  his  eyes  traversed  the  chaste  delicacy  of 
the  face  which  was  framed  in  shadows. 

"  The  Great  Renunciator  who  first  reduces  this 
failure  to  terms,"  said  the  scarecrow,  "  will  have  a 
sterner  task  than  Jesus  had." 

"  Yet,  sir,  you  come  to  one  who  is  almost  fainting 
by  the  bleak  wayside." 

"Have  I  not  listened  to  your  oratory?  Do  I 
not  discern  you  to  stand  at  the  parting  of  the 
ways?" 

"  Yes,  at  the  parting  of  the  virays,"  said  the  young 
man  heavily.  "  The  hour  is  at  hand  when  one 
whose  poverty  is  bitter  must  make  his  choice." 

"  I  have  prayed  for  you,"  said  his  visitor,  with 
such  a  perfect  simplicity  that  it  filled  the  eyes  of 
the  young  advocate  with  tears.  "  Your  ordeal  is 
terrible,  for  I  discern  you  to  be  a  man  of  great 
power." 

"  Poverty  is  a  deadly  evil,"  said  Northcote. 

"  Yet  I  would  have  you  beware  of  riches,"  said 
his  visitor.  **  Think  of  the  cruel  treachery  with 
which  they  use  so  many.  See  how  they  have  be- 
trayed our  own  fair  land.     And  it  is  one  such  as 

II 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

you,  in  his  virgin  immunity,  who  is  called  upon  to 
release  her  from  their  false  embraces." 

"  I,  sir !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man,  with  wild 
eyes  and  his  heart  beating  violently.  "  I,  without 
clothes  to  my  skin,  without  food  in  my  belly,  and 
who  to-morrow  will  have  no  roof  under  which  to 
rest  his  head !  " 

The  wan  smile  of  the  scarecrow  embraced  his 
own  mutilated  hat,  broken  boots,  and  ragged  con- 
dition. 

"  You  may  or  you  may  not  be  the  emancipator," 
said  the  scarecrow,  peering  at  him  earnestly,  "  yet 
the  veritable  great  one  whom  I  see  configured  be- 
fore me  is  some  such  man  as  you.  I  have  listened 
many  weeks  to  your  oratory,  and  you  have  a 
strange  power.  Your  voice  is  noble,  and  speaks 
words  of  authority.  Even  if  you  are  not  the  demi- 
god for  whom  the  age  is  asking,  —  and,  my  dear 
friend,  far  be  it  from  me  to  say  you  are  not,  —  you 
were  yet  formed  by  Nature  to  do  a  momentous 
work  for  your  country." 

"  In  its  casual  wards,"  said  the  young  man,  with 
an  outburst  of  bitterness. 

"The  elect  upon  whom  Nature  confers  true 
power  are  generally  safeguarded  in  this  wise  man- 
ner. The  ambitions  of  the  market-place  are  set 
beyond  their  reach.  I  lie  down  to-night  with  a 
paean  of  thanksgiving  upon  my  lips.  May  the  hour 
dawn  when  you  also  may  consign  your  bones  to 
the  snow.  But  in  the  meantime  you  have  a  great 
work  to  do  in  the  world.  Nature  has  filled  you 
with  speech ;  therefore  you  have  the  burden  of  im- 
mense responsibilities,  for  speech  is  the  most  signal 
of  her  gifts.    You  may  or  you  may  not  be  the  great 

12 


SHEPHERD'S    INN,    FLEET    STREET 

renunciator  whom  millions  of  your  countrymen 
await  with  fevered  looks;  but  it  lies  within  your 
province,  as  it  lies  within  that  of  every  mariner, 
to  array  yourself  among  those  of  humble  prophecy 
who  read  the  meaning  of  the  star  in  the  east.  At 
least,  my  friend,  all  who  allow  themselves  to  antici- 
pate a  divine  appearance  are  the  servants  of  truth." 
With  these  words  the  scarecrow  rose  from  his 
chair,  and,  bowing  to  the  young  man  with  an  aus- 
tere bTit  kind  dignity,  left  the  room  as  suddenly  and 
noiselessly  as  he  had  entered  it. 


13 


n 

RETROSPECTION 

Left  alone  in  the  coldness  of  his  garret,  North- 
cote  felt  a  stupefaction  steal  upon  him.  The  phase 
of  his  own  circumstances  had  lent  force  to  this 
bizarre  incident.  Spectral  as  this  apparition  was, 
however,  the  gestures,  the  tones,  the  mean  garb 
were  those  of  a  living  man. 

The  coming  of  such  a  mariner  who  had  been 
down  into  the  depths  of  the  sea  appeared  for  a 
moment  to  turn  his  eyes  inwards.  Seated  again 
before  the  empty  grate  with  his  hands  on  his  knees, 
he  saw  his  life  and  its  surroundings  with  a  sharp- 
ness of  vision  which  hunger  had  seemed  to  render 
more  definite.  He  saw  himself  as  the  full-blooded 
turbulent  man,  tormented  by  desires,  thwarted  by 
fortune,  yet  yearning  to  express  a  complete,  moral, 
intellectual,  and  physical  life.  He  was  so  strong, 
yet  so  impotent ;  so  expansive,  yet  so  circumscribed ; 
loving  all  the  colors  of  the  sun  and  the  bright  face 
of  heaven,  yet  condemned  to  a  prison,  and  perhaps 
the  more  dreadful  darkness  of  the  lazar-house.  He 
saw  himself  as  the  wholesome,  simple-hearted  citi- 
zen, yet  as  the  man  of  imagination  also,  the  poet 
and  the  dreamer  formed  to  walk  upon  the  heights, 
who,  oppressed  by  the  duality  of  his  nature,  was  in 
danger  of  succumbing  to  weariness,  disillusion,  and 
a  remorseless  material  need. 

He  saw  himself  as  a  bov  roaming  the  fields,  cast- 
14 


RETROSPECTION 

ing  up  the  soft  loam  with  his  feet,  spending  long 
clays  in  dreams  of  the  miraculous  future,  and  eve- 
nings in  conversation  with  his  mother,  —  that  won- 
derful mother  whose  mind  was  so  secure,  whose 
conceptions  of  the  heavy  duties  that  wait  upon  the 
gift  of  life  were  so  odd,  yet  so  exact.  He  recalled 
her  as  a  gaunt,  strong,  and  tall  woman,  with  a  red 
face,  rather  coarse  hands,  and  a  shabby  black  hat 
tied  in  a  frayed  velvet  bow  under  her  chin. 

He  could  never  remember  to  have  heard  her  com- 
plain of  life  and  fortune.  She  wore  the  same  clothes 
year  after  year;  sought  no  amelioration  from  her 
wearisome  and  unremitting  labors ;  never  seemed  to 
vary  in  her  sturdiness  of  health  and  temper;  and 
always  maintained  plain,  robust,  material  opinions. 
Her  life  had  been  a  sordid  and  continuous  struggle 
for  the  acquisition  of  money,  a  pound  here  and  a 
pound  there,  but  there  was  no  trace  of  avarice  in  her 
character.  She  had  educated  him  wholly  beyond 
her  means,  but  permitted  herself  no  romance  about 
it.  She  believed  that  being  her  son,  and  the  son 
of  the  man  she  had  married,  —  whom  life  had  cut 
off  in  an  arbitrary  manner  before  he  had  had  a 
chance  to  display  his  gifts,  —  he  would  be  a  man 
of  sound  abilities.  She  had  decided  in  her  own 
mind  three  months  before  he  was  born  that  to  have 
a  fair  field  for  his  talents  he  must  go  to  the  bar. 

*'  I  have  a  little  imagination,  but  not  enough," 
she  would  say  to  him,  as  he  sat  with  her  an  hour 
after  supper  in  the  winter  evenings.  "  Your  father 
was  a  man  of  good  imagination,  and  used  to  read 
the  best  authors  to  me.  My  mental  limitations  did 
not  permit  me  to  understand  their  truth,  but  I  al- 
ways felt  their  power.    Your  father  was  a  brilliant 

IS 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

man  in  some  ways,  but  the  clock  of  his  intellect  was 
always  set  a  little  too  fast.  If  he  had  not  decided 
early  in  life  to  be  a  bishop,  I  think  he  would  have 
been  a  writer  of  books.  Even  as  it  was,  he  wanted 
sometimes  to  write  them.  However,  I  managed  to 
dissuade  him.  '  No,  Henry,'  I  said,  *  stick  to  your 
trade.  You  cannot  combine  the  two.  To  write 
books  you  would  have  to  look  at  things  so  closely 
that  it  would  unfit  you  for  your  calling.'  All  the 
same,  your  father  was  a  man  of  remarkable  natural 
force.  He  would  have  succeeded  in  anything  he 
had  undertaken." 

Northcote  never  recalled  his  mother  —  and  it  was 
seldom  that  a  day  passed  in  his  life  unless  he  did 
recall  her  in  one  shape  or  another  —  that  this  speech, 
and  a  hundred  that  were  similar,  did  not  fill  his  ears, 
his  memory,  and  his  imagination.  As  he  sat  now 
with  his  hands  and  feet  growing  colder,  the  pool 
on  the  floor  growing  larger,  his  vitality  becoming 
less  and  with  despair  advancing  upon  him  silently 
like  the  army  of  shadows  that  pressed  every  minute 
more  strongly  upon  the  feeble  lamp,  he  saw  that 
dauntless  countenance,  the  firm  lips,  the  gray  eyes 
which  darkened  a  little  in  the  evenings  as  though 
accompanied  by  thought;  the  precise  but  inhar- 
monious voice  came  into  his  ears;  the  vigorous 
intelligence  was  spread  before  him,  calm  but  un- 
beautiful,  full  of  massive  courage,  but  deficient  in 
the  finer  shades  of  life. 

At  those  seasons  when  the  young  advocate  sat 
in  his  isolation  and  despair,  that  arch-enemy  of  high 
natures  crept  into  his  veins  like  a  drug;  he  would 
seek  the  antidote  in  that  courageous  life.  This  pen- 
niless widow  of  a  clergyman  in  a  small  village  in 

i6 


RETROSPECTION 

a  remote  part  of  the  world  had  fitted  her  son  for 
the  only  sphere  in  which  she  looked  for  distinction 
for  him,  by  many  years  of  Spartan  hardihood  in 
thought  and  deed.  The  few  pounds  the  Reverend 
Henry  Northcote  had  laid  by  from  his  pittance, 
wherewith  to  provide  an  education  for  his  son,  had 
been  lost  in  a  building  society  within  three  months 
of  his  own  departure  from  the  world.  From  the 
date  of  the  disaster  his  widow  had  restricted  the 
hours  she  spent  in  bed  to  five  out  of  the  twenty- 
four;  had  renounced  the  eating  of  meat  and  the 
most  commonplace  luxuries;  and  had  practised  a 
thousand  and  one  petty  economies  in  order  that 
her  husband's  son  should  not  lack  the  educational 
advantages  of  those  with  whom  he  would  have  to 
compete.  She  had  maintained  him  at  a  public 
school,  and  afterwards,  for  a  short  period,  at  the 
university,  by  translating  classics  out  of  foreign  lan- 
guages for  scholastic  publishers,  and  by  conveying 
the  rudiments  of  knowledge  to  the  young  children 
of  the  landholders  who  lived  in  her  neighborhood. 

This  stalwart  figure  formed  a  wonderful  back- 
ground to  his  youth.  He  was  filled  with  awe  by 
a  simplicity  that  was  so  unconquerable,  a  self-reli- 
ance that  was  so  majestic.  All  the  subtle  implements 
of  his  nature  could  not  resolve  such  a  potency  as 
that.  He  himself  was  so  much  less  and  so  much 
more. 

Strange  homage  was  paid  to  this  unlovely  but 
august  woman  by  the  privy  council  which  sat  in 
eternal  session  in  his  intellect.  The  favorite  guise 
in  which  she  was  presented  to  it  was  as  the  mother 
of  Napoleon,  that  *'  Madame  Mere "  who  in  the 
trenches  conceived  the  Man  of  Destiny,  and  walked 

17 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

to  church  an  hour  before  she  gave  him  to  the  world. 
Her  martial  bearing,  large  bones,  strong  country 
speech,  clothed  the  idea  with  the  flesh  of  the  hard 
fact;  her  consciousness  of  purpose,  power  of  will, 
ennobled  and  quickened  it  with  the  hues  of  poetry. 

Homer  must  have  had  some  such  woman  for  a 
mother,  in  whose  womb  the  Iliads  were  born  pre- 
natally.  All  that  sped,  flew,  or  swam  in  the  aerial 
kingdom  of  the  Idea  must  first  have  had  its  pinions 
fixed  and  pointed  by  some  inarticulate  goddess  who 
laid  upon  herself  the  humblest  functions,  the  mean- 
est offices,  in  order  that  nature  might  not  lack  lusty 
and  shrewd  servants  in  the  time  to  be.  The  teeming 
millions  of  creatures  who  spawned  in  the  darkness, 
who  lifted  their  scaled  eyes  to  where  the  light  might 
be  found,  according  to  those  who  had  skill  in 
prophecy,  yet  who  themselves  were  so  uncertain  of 
its  presence  that,  when  it  shone  straight  before  them 
through  the  fissures  in  their  cave,  they  passed  it  by 
as  a  chimera,  or  the  iridescence  of  some  bird,  rep- 
tile, piece  of  coal,  or  winged  snake,  —  these  cried 
out  continually  for  some  true-born  Child  of  the  Sun 
to  lead  them  out  of  that  gross  night  into  the  molten 
plains  of  beauty  which  ran  down  to  the  sea.  And 
it  was  given  to  some  stalwart  creature  with  a  red 
face  and  coarse  hands  and  a  shabby  black  hat  tied 
in  a  bow  under  the  chin,  who  herself  was  purblind, 
yet  with  knees  ever  pressed  to  the  flags  of  the  tem- 
ple, to  dream  of  the  light  in  her  prayers,  and  pres- 
ently, out  of  her  own  strong,  rustic  body,  to  furnish 
forth  to  her  kind  a  guide,  a  prophet,  and  a  leader. 

As  hunger,  that  exquisite,  but  cruel,  sensation, 
grew  upon  Northcote,  and  caused  fierce  little 
shivers  to  run  through  his  bones,  he  awoke  to  the 

i8 


RETROSPECTION 

fact  that  all  the  tobacco  in  his  pipe  had  been  con- 
sumed, and  further,  that  there  was  not  a  grain 
left  in  his  pouch.  In  this  extremity  he  had  re- 
course to  his  evening  meal.  It  was  contained  in 
a  confectioner's  paper,  and  consisted  of  a  large 
"Bath  bun  embellished  with  currants.  He  plucked 
out  the  currants  carefully,  and  laid  them  apart  as 
dessert.  After  half  an  hour's  deliberate  munch- 
ing, a  little  of  the  well-being  of  the  nourished  man 
returned. 

He  opened  a  drawer  in  the  table,  and  took  out 
a  handful  of  foolscap  pages  covered  with  writing 
in  a  small  and  not  very  visible  hand.  These  were 
but  a  few  among  some  two  thousand  others,  which 
embodied  "  A  Note  towards  an  Essay  on  Opti- 
mism," the  fruit  of  the  leisure  of  six  years.  It  had 
had  the  honor  of  being  rejected,  promptly  and  un- 
compromisingly, by  the  publishers  of  London.  Only 
one  among  this  autocracy  had  condescended  to 
supply  a  reason.  It  was  brief  but  ample :  "  Phi- 
losophy does  not  pay." 

As  Northcote  held  these  pages  beneath  the  un- 
certain rays  of  the  lamp,  and  for  the  thousand  and 
first  time  their  quality  was  revealed  to  his  gaze,  a 
profound  excitement  spread  through  his  being. 
What  had  the  degradation  of  his  poverty  enabled 
him  to  compass  for  mankind?  These  magic  pages 
were  so  quick  with  authenticity  that  he  was  forced 
to  regard  them  as  the  gage  of  one  who  was  about 
to  offer  a  universal  sanction  to  the  human  heart. 

After  awhile  he  returned  these  papers  to  the 
drawer  and  addressed  himself  to  one  of  the  dusty 
manuals  of  jurisprudence  that  adorned  his  table. 
But  strange  shapes  were  in  his  mind  to-night;   and 

19 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

these  would  not  be  harnessed  to  the  dead  letter  of 
the  law.  A  torrent  had  been  unloosed  which  bore 
his  thoughts  in  every  direction  save  that  in  which 
he  would  have  them  go.  After  a  time  the  lamp 
burned  so  low  that  it  was  no  longer  necessary  to 
make  a  pretence  at  reading.  Therefore  he  closed 
the  book  and  lifted  up  his  ears  to  the  night.  The 
faint,  consistent  drip  drip  of  the  water  from  the 
ceiling  to  the  pool  it  had  formed  on  the  floor  stole 
upon  him  with  a  sense  of  the  uncanny.  The  room 
itself  was  draughty  and  decrepit,  and  in  common 
with  others  in  that  neighborhood,  particularly  on 
the  waterside,  was  inhabited  by  rats.  He  could 
hear  them  now  in  the  crevices  behind  the  wainscot. 
He  took  from  the  table  a  piece  of  lead  which  he 
used  as  a  paper-weight,  and  waited  grimly  for  one 
to  appear. 

Crouching  upon  the  hearth  with  this  deadly  in- 
strument in  his  hand,  his  thoughts  strayed  again 
to  the  country,  again  to  his  mother,  and  from  her 
to  the  young  girl  whom  he  had  hoped  to  make  his 
wife.  This  slender  and  straight  and  joyous  crea- 
ture, with  the  supple  limbs  of  a  fawn  and  com- 
plexion of  a  dairymaid,  had  the  seemliness  and 
purity  which  was  so  essential  in  one  who  would 
be  called  to  the  function  of  completing  his  life. 
She  was  as  sweet  and  choice  as  a  lily,  for  her  only 
gift  was  the  serenity  which  has  its  seat  in  superb 
physical  health  and  freedom  from  the  penalties 
that  wait  upon  intelligence. 

She  had  seen  nothing,  knew  nothing;  there  was 
nothing  for  her  to  see  or  to  know.  Her  simplicity 
was  so  naive  that  it  was  a  perennial  delight  to 
a  sophiscated  nature.     He  never  summoned  her 

20 


RETROSPECTION 

image  except  to  cherish  it.  In  his  direst  mood, 
in  his  straitest  hour,  when  life  blew  barb  after 
barb  into  his  skin,  he  felt  that  to  possess  her  was 
to  keep  a  talisman  in  his  spirit  which  could  un- 
weave the  knots  in  the  conspiracies  of  fate.  Those 
lines  in  her  shape,  those  curves  which  were  so 
arch,  so  free,  yet  qualified  so  finely,  seemed  to 
bring  healing  and  refinement  to  him;  while  those 
eyes,  soft  and  luminous,  yet  lacking  in  expression, 
seemed  to  chasten  his  power  without  impairing  it. 

At  this  moment  a  sound  for  which  he  had  been 
listening  broke  his  reverie.  An  enormous  she-rat, 
heavy  with  young,  entered  the  room.  He  watched 
it  waddle  out  of  a  dark  corner  and  emerge  slowly 
towards  him  along  the  floor.  As  it  came  near  he 
could  discern  the  gleam  of  its  red  eyes,  its  nose, 
its  wide-spreading  whiskers.  They  filled  him  with 
an  indescribable  ferocity.  He  poised  the  piece  of 
lead  in  his  hand,  and  took  aim  with  close-breath- 
ing and  deliberate  care.  Suddenly  he  hurled  it  with 
the  strength  of  a  giant,  the  creature  was  struck 
in  the  flank  and  lay  dead  before  it  knew  that  any- 
thing had  occurred. 

With  a  grunt  of  satisfaction  amounting  almost 
to  joy  he  picked  up  the  animal  by  the  tail.  **  What 
a  beauty !  "  he  muttered,  *'  and  what  a  shot !  I 
might  try  that  a  thousand  times  and  not  bring  it 
off."  He  opened  the  window,  flung  out  the  carcass, 
and  heard  it  drop  in  a  puddle  of  water  in  the 
middle  of  the  traffic. 

The  perfectly  successful  accomplishment  of  this 
callous  feat  seemed  to  give  his  senses  the  exhilara- 
tion of  strong  wine ;  and  the  effect  was  heightened 
by  a  blast  of  icy  air  which  was  dashed  on  to  his 

21 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

face  when  he  opened  the  window.  The  mighty 
engines  of  his  imagination  were  set  in  motion.  He 
leaned  out  of  the  window  and  snuffed  the  brutal 
weather;  and  through  the  fierce  sleet  which  stung 
his  eyes  and  froze  on  his  lips  he  looked  down 
into  London  with  its  lights,  its  vehicles,  and  its 
chaos;  unknowing,  unheeding,  and  unseeing,  yet 
in  itself  magnetic  and  so  mysterious.  He  felt  like 
an  eagle  who  peers  out  of  his  eyrie  in  the  cliffs  in 
the  midst  of  winter  to  witness  the  fury  of  the  sea, 
dashing  itself  to  pieces  upon  his  paternal  rocks, 
and  is  himself  assaulted  by  the  eternal  ferocity  of 
nature. 


22 


Ill 

SUMMONING    THE     GENIE 

The  passion  of  Lear  when  on  the  heath  he 
bares  his  head  to  the  storm  mounted  in  his  veins. 
Leaning  far  out  of  the  window  of  his  garret  to 
confront  the  rage  of  heaven,  with  the  unbridled 
insolence  of  his  youth  he  called  upon  the  elements 
to  wreak  themselves  upon  him.  Let  them  stab  his 
eyes  with  tears,  let  them  curdle  the  breath  upon 
his  lips.  Nature  had  charged  his  being  with  that 
dynamic  force  which  makes  the  world  vibrate,  only 
to  withhold  the  master-key  without  whose  aid  his 
quality  could  not  announce  itself.  All  —  all  was 
furnished  in  the  armory  of  the  spirit.  He  asked 
no  more  than  one  brief  occasion,  and  clad  in  his 
demonic  power  he  would  shake  the  pillars  of  so- 
ciety with  that  passion  which  was  preying  now 
upon  his  flesh  and  blood. 

Such  occasions  were  not  denied  to  those  who  did 
not  comprehend  their  use.  How  often  with  scorn- 
ful eyes  was  he  to  watch  in  the  courts  of  justice 
mediocrity,  primed  with  privilege  and  favor,  mis- 
conducting itself  amid  the  purlieus  of  the  law. 
Every  week  he  was  affronted  with  the  spectacle  of 
this  hydra-headed  monster  toying  with  the  life  and 
liberty  of  the  subject.  At  the  worst  it  was  no 
more  than  another  "  miscarriage  of  justice ;  "  some 
other  unseemly  wretch  offered  upon  the  altars  of 
incompetence. 

23 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Many  times  of  a  night  when  alone  and  hungry 
had  he  conjured  up  a  vision  of  the  judge  calling 
from  the  bench  for  a  tyro  to  undertake  the  defence 
of  one  too  poor  to  purchase  an  advocate.  "  You, 
sir  —  will  you  undertake  the  defence  of  this  un- 
fortunate woman  ?  "  And  over  and  over  again  had 
he  broken  the  silence  of  his  room  with  a  carefully 
modulated,  "  It  will  give  me  great  pleasure,  m'lud, 
it  will  give  me  great  pleasure." 

However,  no  judge  had  made  the  call.  How  nar- 
rowly had  some  old  and  obtuse  public  servant  es- 
caped unlocking  the  lips  of  a  Milton,  mute  and 
inglorious,  who  sat  in  a  shiver  of  hope  awaiting 
the  summons.  To  be  sure,  no  judge  had  known 
of  so  strange  a  presence,  but  had  one  of  these  ven- 
erable guardians  been  aware  of  it,  in  the  public 
interest  he  would  still  have  passed  him  by.  For 
what  is  more  contemptible  than  elevation  of  any 
kind  when  it  seeks  a  platform  on  which  to  declare 
itself? 

Suppose  the  call  came  to-night!  The  suggestion 
was  conveyed  in  the  rages  of  the  wind  buffet- 
ing the  cheeks  of  the  unhappy  man.  Gasping, 
drenched,  and  excited  almost  beyond  the  verge  of 
reason,  he  withdrew  his  face  from  the  elements 
and  closed  the  window.  The  lamp  on  the  table 
had  gone  out,  the  few  ashes  in  the  grate  gave  a 
mere  feeble  spark.  In  spite  of  the  overcoat  and 
thick  gloves  which  he  wore,  the  coldness  of  the 
room  oppressed  him  like  a  sepulchre.  His  feet 
were  frozen;  he  had  no  tobacco;  the  clock  at  the 
Law  Courts  was  chiming  nine.  Yet  suppose  it 
came!     Why  not?     Why  not  demand  it  with  all 


24 


SUMMONING    THE    GENIE 

the  fervor  of  his  nature,  Hke  others  who  had  sought 
their  opportunity  had  done  so  often? 

He  could  not  understand  this  fever  which  had 
stretched  him  upon  the  rack.  It  might  be  that  the 
lack  of  the  meanest  necessaries  had  told  too  se- 
verely upon  his  frame.  Indeed,  he  was  starving  by 
degrees.  His  limbs  —  huge,  knotted  things  —  had 
withered  until  he  was  ashamed.  His  skin  was  so 
pale,  his  cheeks  so  wasted,  that  when  his  eyes 
flamed  out  in  all  their  cadaverous  lustre  the  pros- 
perous shrank  from  him  as  though  he  were  a  ghost 
or  a  leper. 

However,  he  did  not  covet  the  heritage  of  others. 
Sharp  as  his  belly  was  to-night,  ragged  as  was 
his  back,  he  must  not  purchase  the  cuisine  and 
raiment  of  princes  at  the  price  that  was  asked. 
Were  he  to  inhabit  the  body  of  Croesus,  he  would 
have  also  to  inhabit  his  soul.  Throned  amid  pomp, 
he  would  have  dined  that  evening  to  the  strains 
of  Beethoven  under  the  shadows  of  Velasquez  and 
Raphael.  He  would  have  eaten  the  manna  of  the 
wilderness  served  upon  gold  plate;  have  drunk 
the  fabulous  Falernian,  with  pearls  from  the  Orient 
dissolved  in  it  to  heighten  the  bouquet.  Gorgeous 
houris,  whose  eyes  and  jewels  were  jealous  of  one 
another,  whose  breaths  were  perfumed,  whose  lips 
were  laden  with  music,  would  have  been  on  his 
right  hand  and  on  his  left.  Yet  he  would  neither 
have  seen,  nor  heard,  nor  felt,  nor  tasted;  for 
those  who  partook  of  such  a  feast  could  neither 
know  nor  understand. 

He  must  not  barter  his  hunger  for  a  feast  such 
as  that.  No  ray  of  meaning  ever  invaded  this 
crapulous  Barmecide.     All  that  he  saw  was  that 

25 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

the  color  of  money  was  yellow;  all  that  he  knew 
was  that  its  possession  oiled  the  wheels  of  life. 
The  starving  man  crouched  upon  his  knees  and 
buried  his  burning  face  in  the  dust  of  the  table. 
He  must  make  his  apology  to  Nature  for  having 
reviled  her.  Nothing  was  more  imperfect  than 
this  handmaid;  yet  how  patient,  how  obedient  was 
this  Unanswering  One!  She  did  not  deserve  to 
be  abused.  For  all  at  once,  with  a  prophetic  shud- 
der of  his  doom,  he  recognized  that  he  had  only 
to  make  his  demand  of  her  to  receive  all  that  he 
asked. 

If  his  nature  craved  the  material,  let  him  seek 
it  and  it  should  be  given.  He  need  not  starve  in 
his  garret;  his  prayers  would  be  heard.  If  Suc- 
cess with  all  her  penalties  must  be  his,  let  him  pros- 
trate himself  before  her;  was  she  not  a  courtezan 
that  none  need  to  woo  in  vain?  But  crouching 
thus  in  wretchedness,  his  frame  shivering  and  burn- 
ing by  turns,  the  price  of  such  a  triumph  was 
before  his  eyes,  written  in  garish  letters  upon  the 
dismal  walls.  He  was  hungry  to  the  point  of  death 
almost,  yet  if  he  satisfied  that  hunger  with  a  mess 
of  pottage  he  would  be  destroyed. 

How  unhappy  is  he  who  becomes  the  witness  of 
his  own  dread  passions  determining  an  issue  on 
the  battle-ground  of  his  nature!  If  the  mere  act 
of  volition  was  still  to  remain  with  him,  the  choice 
must  be  made;  yet  if  he  made  that  which  had 
grown  so  imminent  he  would  lose  whatever  status 
or  sanction  he  derived  from  the  elevation  of  his 
aims.  This  bundle  of  forces  within  him,  to  whom 
after  all  he  held  the  master-key  did  he  but  dare 
to  use  it,  was  driving  him  pitilessly.     Already  he 

26 


SUMMONING   THE   CENIE 

seemed  to  be  losing  his  fineness  of  perception.  The 
point  at  issue  was  already  half-erased.  Those  im- 
mensely powerful  engines  which  drove  the  blood 
so  furiously  through  his  veins  were  in  revolt.  Let 
him  find  employment  for  them ;  let  them  fulfil  their 
appointed  ends,  or  woe  betide  him. 

He  had  only  to  press  his  eyes  to  the  table  to 
summon  the  genie.  Occasion  would  wait  upon  him 
if  he  sank  to  his  knees.  Let  him  harness  his  will 
to  his  common  needs  and  the  power  would  be  ren- 
dered to  him  to  achieve  them.  His  imagination 
had  no  trammels;  it  was  burning  with  a  volcanic 
activity;  by  its  light  he  could  enter  any  kingdom 
in  the  material  world.  Let  him  ask,  and  all  should 
be  given. 

He  had  fallen  into  a  kind  of  trance  in  which  im- 
mediate sensations  of  place  and  time  were  sus- 
pended. The  cold  room,  now  wrapped  in  an  almost 
complete  darkness  in  which  rats  were  scratching 
and  scuttling;  the  drip  drip  of  the  water  to  the 
floor;  the  rattle  of  the  windows  against  the  rising 
gale;  the  roar  of  the  traffic  in  the  street  —  all  had 
become  submerged,  had  lost  their  form,  had  been 
blended  into  a  strange  yet  not  inharmonious  some- 
thing else.  A  pageant  was  passing  before  his 
mind.  He  was  powerless  to  identify  himself  with 
it,  to  fix  its  colors,  to  catch  the  expressions  of  the 
fleeting  faces  of  those  who  mingled  in  it,  yet  de- 
spite the  suspension  of  the  functions  of  the  will, 
he  was  conscious  of  what  was  taking  place. 

He  was  not  in  a  dream,  because  his  eyes  were 
open,  he  knew  where  he  was,  and  he  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  sense  of  hearing.  But  he  had  surren- 
dered the  control  of  the  will ;  and  although  he  was 

27 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

on  his  knees  with  his  face  pressed  to  a  dusty  table 
before  a  dead  fire,  the  mind  was  become  divorced 
from  the  body  and  was  cast  into  the  vortex  of  in- 
describable scenes.  It  drifted  about  among  them 
helplessly.  It  bore  no  relation  to  actors  or  events. 
All  was  the  weirdest  panorama,  crammed  with 
hurry  and  wild  inconsequence;  and  yet  the  spec- 
tator was  filled  with  an  exhilaration  which  was  as 
remote  from  the  province  of  reality  as  a  drunkard's 
delirium. 

He  began  to  make  frantic  efforts  to  fix  and  locate 
this  phantasmagoria.  He  stretched  every  nerve  to 
catch  the  import  of  the  word  that  was  spoken;  he 
craned  his  whole  being  to  wrest  a  single  incident 
from  this  wild  confusion.  He  strove  as  fiercely 
for  a  thread  of  meaning  as  though  he  were  fight- 
ing against  the  operations  of  an  anaesthetic,  but 
he  could  reclaim  nothing  from  the  chaos  in  which 
he  was  enveloped.  He  was  like  a  drowning  man 
with  the  heavy  yet  not  unpleasant  rush  of  water 
in  his  ears. 

Suddenly  his  mind  was  invaded  by  a  distinct 
sound.  It  had  the  dull  sense  of  finality  of  a  blow 
on  the  head.  The  door  of  the  room  had  been 
flung  open.  And  then  came  a  voice  through  the 
shadows  which  encompassed  the  last  feeble  gutter- 
ings  of  the  lamp : 

''  Anybody  at  home?  " 

Northcote  rose  from  his  knees  in  a  wild  and 
startled  manner. 

"  Who  —  who  is  that  ?  **  he  cried,  in  a  hollow 
tone. 

"  Is  that  Mr.  Northcote  ? "  said  the  obscure 
presence  which  had  entered  the  room. 

28 


IV 

ENTER     MR.     WHITCOMB 

For  the  second  time  that  evening  Northcote 
peered  through  the  gloom  of  his  chamber  with  a 
thrill  of  curious  expectancy.  The  visit  of  the  scare- 
crow had  been  forgotten  in  the  torments  of  his 
passion,  but  the  sound  of  his  own  name  on  the  lips 
of  the  unknown  resummoned  that  phantom  to  his 
mind.  But  in  the  room  of  one  so  frail  was  a  robust 
and  spreading  presence. 

"To  whom  do  I  owe  a  welcome?"  muttered 
Northcote,  and  as  he  rose  from  his  knees  his  words 
seemed  to  be  lost  in  the  vibrations  of  his  heart. 

"  Mr.  Northcote  it  is,"  said  the  round  and  full 
tones  of  the  invader. 

The  advocate,  trembling  in  every  limb,  was  con- 
scious of  a  powerful  and  confident  grasp  of  the 
hand.  And  then  as  his  eyes  encountered  the  out- 
lines of  his  visitor,  he  was  seized  with  a  pang  of 
disappointment,  for  he  had  looked  to  see  something 
different. 

"Don't  you  know  me,  Mr.  Northcote?"  said 
the  voice  —  the  conventional  voice  which  had  al- 
ready smote  the  starving  man  with  a  sense  of  the 
intolerable. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do  not,"  he  said,  heavily. 

"  Well,  I  thought  Samuel  Whitcomb  was  known 
to  every  member  of  the  bar." 

29 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Mr.  Whitcomb's  whimsical  air  strove  to  cloak  a 
wound  to  his  professional  feelings. 

*'  Ah,  yes,  of  course,  Mr.  Whitcomb ;  of  course," 
said  the  young"  man,  with  a  deeper  disappointment 
fixing  its  talons  upon  him.  "  Of  course  —  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  the  solicitor,"  he  added,  hastily,  as 
through  the  haze  of  the  unreal  which  still  enveloped 
his  amazed  and  stupefied  senses  he  caught  a  famil- 
iar aspect  and  a  tone  that  he  recalled. 

"  The  same." 

"  Excuse  this  inhospitable  darkness,"  said  North- 
cote.  *'  Here  is  a  chair;  and  try,  if  you  please,  to 
keep  your  patience  while  I  put  some  oil  in  the  lamp 
and  seek  a  piece  of  coal  for  the  fire." 

"  No  elaborate  scheme  of  welcome,  I  beg.  Your 
client  is  not  a  prince  of  the  blood,  but  a  common 
lawyer." 

A  well-fed  and  highly  sagacious  chuckle  accom- 
panied this  sally  on  the  part  of  the  solicitor. 

Still  in  the  throes  of  his  stupefaction,  Northcote 
addressed  himself  to  the  oil-can  and  the  coal-box, 
that  as  far  as  the  circumstances  would  permit  a 
reception  might  be  accorded  to  this  unexpected 
guest,  whose  common  and  prosaic  quality  had  al- 
ready jarred  upon  every  fibre  of  his  being.  And 
these  preparations,  diffidently  conducted,  kindled 
again  the  well-fed  chuckle  of  the  solicitor;  and  so 
ingratiating  was  it  that  it  seemed  to  banish  all 
appearance  of  constraint  by  imparting  an  air  of 
equality  to  everything  in  the  world. 

The  lamp  flared  up  under  the  influence  of  the 
dregs  of  fuel  that  had  been  added  to  it,  and  revealed 
the  pale  and  wasted  features  of  the  garret's  inhabit- 
ant.     The    solicitor,    with    the    quickness    of    the 

30 


ENTER    MR.    WHITCOMB 

trained  observer,  pursed  up  his  lips  in  a  suppressed 
whistle.  A  kind  of  pity  softened  the  relentless  com- 
posure of  his  eyes  as  they  beheld  the  haggard  and 
unkempt  bearing  of  the  man  before  them.  *'  Poor 
devil,"  he  muttered ;  "  literally  starving."  It  was 
in  this  succinct  yet  compendious  manner  that  Mr. 
Whitcomb  filed  for  reference  all  facts  which  are 
sufficiently  obvious  to  stand  as  knowledge. 

*'  Do  you  know,"  said  Northcote,  suddenly,  "  I 
was  half-expecting  somebody  to-night." 

''  Sitting  in  state  to  receive  him,  evidently,"  the 
solicitor  muttered,  as  he  sniffed  the  temperature  of 
the  garret  and  glanced  oddly  from  the  fireless  grate 
to  the  gloves  and  overcoat  that  Northcote  was 
wearing. 

'*  Dining  out  together,  were  you?" 

"  To  speak  the  truth,"  said  the  advocate,  with  an 
odd  laugh,  "  I  had  hardly  got  so  far  as  to  consider 
the  personage  I  was  half -expecting  in  such  a  grossly 
material  aspect." 

''  Personage,  eh  ?  "  said  the  solicitor.  "  They're 
out  of  my  line.  I  only  have  to  do  with  persons, 
quite  ordinary  people,  who  are  mightily  interested 
in  their  meals." 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  had  hardly 
got  so  far  as  to  formulate  my  expected  visitant  in 
actual  terms  of  flesh  and  blood." 

"  You  deal  in  spooks !  "  said  the  solicitor.  "  A 
likely  pitch  for  them,  too."  Mr.  Whitcomb  began 
to  stroke  his  moustache  pensively,  his  invariable 
habit  when  confronted  by  the  danger  of  going 
beyond  his  limit.  "  A  creepy  hole,  by  God !  "  he 
said,  in  another  of  his  asides,  for  the  simplicity  and 


31 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

matter-of-factness  of  the  advocate  had  a  Httle  dis- 
composed  him. 

"  I  was  half-expecting  a  genie,"  said  the  advo- 
cate. 

"  A  genie !  "  said  the  soHcitor,  with  a  laugh  of 
embarrassment,  for  his  surroundings  oppressed 
him,  and  his  vitality  was  impaired  by  not  having 
yet  had  his  dinner.  "  I  never  heard  of  a  genie 
except  in  the  '  Arabian  Nights.'  " 

"  They  abound  in  London,"  said  the  advocate. 
"  They  are  all  about  us." 

'*  You  are  right,  I  dare  say,"  said  the  solicitor, 
with  a  puzzled  air.  "  The  latest  discovery  of  sci- 
ence, is  it?  They  have  found  such  marvellous 
things  lately,  even  in  the  water  we  drink  and  the  air 
we  breathe.  But  if  you  will  just  stick  on  your  hat, 
and  do  me  the  honor  of  eating  a  bite  of  supper,  —  I 
have  had  a  deplorable  day,  which  has  ended  by  rob- 
bing me  of  my  dinner,  —  I  will  talk  to  you  of  the 
business  that  has  brought  me  here  at  such  an  odd 
sort  of  hour." 

"  A  bite  of  supper !  "  These  magic  words  caused 
the  advocate  to  enfold  his  visitor  in  a  melancholy 
smile. 

"  Upon  my  soul,"  said  he,  "  you  are  the  genie." 

The  solicitor  gave  a  laugh  as  ponderous  as 
Gargantua's. 

"  Have  it  your  own  way,"  he  said ;  "  but  for  the 
love  of  heaven  put  on  your  hat  and  let  us  heed  the 
intimations  of  Nature.  Perhaps  if  we  pet  her  a 
little  she  may  do  us  well  in  this  somewhat  remark- 
able affair.    Come,  let  us  away." 

That  robustness  of  bearing  which  made  half  the 
stock  in  trade  of  the  first  criminal  lawyer  in  London 

32 


ENTER    MR.    WHITCOMB 

had  already  an  effect  upon  the  advocate.  Those 
luscious  tones  had  dispelled  his  comatose  condition. 
And  who  should  say,  after  all,  that  this  was  not  the 
genie;  at  least,  here  was  the  living  embodiment  of 
success,  that  jovial  and  gigantic  swaggerer.  What 
a  smugness  and  sagacity  were  in  the  heavy  inflec- 
tions of  this  prosperous  man !  "  A  fellow  is  not  fit 
to  pare  his  own  nails  when  he's  sharp-set,  and  I  had 
my  chop  at  a  quarter-past  one,"  he  chuckled,  as  he 
watched  the  advocate  grappling  with  his  boots. 
*'  Now,  on  with  your  hat,  and  we'll  take  a  cab  to  I 
know  where." 

'*  As  you  will,"  said  the  young  man,  reaching  for 
his  hat. 

A  reaction  was  stealing  along  his  veins.  Already 
his  passionate  despair  had  begun  to  cower.  It 
looked  like  wizardry  that  one  so  famous  should 
have  been  borne  in  person,  dinnerless,  at  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  up  flight  after  flight  of  dark  stairs,  to  the 
crazy  fifth  floor  of  that  decrepit  building  in  quest  of 
one  so  poor  and  so  obscure. 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  the  genie,"  said  Northcote, 
carrying  the  lamp  to  the  door  to  light  the  distin- 
guished visitor  to  the  head  of  the  rickety  stairs. 
**  Strike  a  match,  sir,  if  you  respect  your  neck." 

Northcote  turned  the  key  of  his  door,  and  Mr. 
Whitcomb  descended,  step  by  step,  in  a  gingerly 
fashion. 

"  If  there  is  the  slightest  fear,"  said  Northcote, 
pressing  on  behind  the  solicitor,  "  of  burning  your 
fingers  with  that  match,  I  shall  urge  you  not  to 
stop  to  examine  the  array  of  old  masters  that  line 
this  perfectly  damnable  staircase  of  mine." 

"  Is  that  an  '  Adoration  of  the  Magi '  above  me 

33 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

on  the  right  ?  "  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  with  his  jovial 
air. 

"  No ;  only  a  crack  in  the  plaster  and  a  cobweb. 
And  that  weird  splotch  to  the  left,  which,  at  this 
distance,  might  stand  for  *  Hercules  Wrestling  with 
Death  for  the  Body  of  Alcestis,'  is  the  damp  strik- 
ing through  the  wall." 

When  at  last  they  had  crept  down  these  noisome 
stairways  into  the  street,  they  found  that  the  sleet 
had  yielded  to  a  light,  murky  rain.  The  solicitor 
summoned  imperiously  a  passing  hansom,  and  sent 
a  thrill  through  the  heart  of  his  starving  companion 
by  naming  for  the  cabman's  guidance  one  of  the 
most  luxurious  restaurants  in  the  world. 


34 


AN    ARISTOCRAT    OF    ARISTOCRATS 

A  SWIFT  journey  of  a  thousand  yards  in  this 
enchanted  vehicle  along  slushy  and  dangerous 
pavements  into  the  West  End,  that  magic  region 
and  golden  home  of  the  marvellous,  saw  the  bewil- 
dered young  man  and  his  companion,  a  veritable 
prince  who  had  stepped  out  of  some  fairy  romance, 
deposited  before  the  portals  of  a  palace  raised  by  a 
wizard  in  the  centre  of  the  streets  of  London.  A 
master-stroke  of  malice  had  placed  this  temple  of 
choiceness  and  rarity  in  the  midst  of  acres  of  dis- 
ease, penury,  and  polluted  air.  The  faces  of  the 
ghostly  denizens  of  these  regions  broke  through 
the  shadows  with  dumb  malevolence  as  the  solicitor 
and  the  advocate  leaped  to  the  portico.  Hardly  had 
they  reached  it  when  they  were  assailed  by  light 
and  color,  glittering  liveries,  gorgeous  women.  A 
stealthy  and  perfumed  warmth  had  even  invaded 
the  outer  atmosphere.  The  starving  man  opened 
his  lips  and  nostrils,  and  flung  wide  all  the  doors 
of  the  senses  in  order  to  drink  the  sheen  and  scents, 
the  hues  and  odors.  Like  a  poet  of  the  Latin  races 
he  sought  to  feed  upon  animal  sensations.  Here  in 
these  bright  saloons  was  the  reverse  of  the  medal, 
of  which  in  his  garret  that  evening  he  had  dreamed. 
By  no  more  than  the  wave  of  a  wand  he  had  been 
transported  into  the  plaisances  of  success. 

As  he  entered  this  domain  he  was  enchanted  with 

35 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

everything,  —  the  tread  of  the  carpets,  the  hang  of 
the  curtains,  the  clothes  of  the  people,  the  sounds 
of  the  music,  the  mien  of  the  waiters.  Ali  Baba 
did  not  illicitly  enter  the  Cave  of  the  Forty  Robbers 
with  a  more  profound  bewilderment,  a  sharper 
curiosity. 

Northcote  followed  his  companion  into  one  of  the 
smaller  and  quieter  but  not  the  less  gilded  and 
luxurious  rooms.  Mr.  Whitcomb,  who  even  in  his 
own  person  did  not  disdain  the  panoply  of  fashion, 
had  the  unconquerable  nonchalance  of  bearing 
which  is  the  first  credential  to  the  public  respect. 

"  I  want  Jools,"  he  said  to  the  first  waiter  he  met. 

The  waiter  bowed  low  and  said  ingratiatingly, 
"  Yes,  sare."  He  darted  away  in  quest  of  that  per- 
sonage without  an  attempt  to  maintain  the  few 
rags  of  dignity  that  attend  his  calling.  There  was, 
indeed,  a  strain  of  the  magician  in  this  wonderful 
Mr.  Whitcomb.  It  would  not  have  occurred  to 
Northcote  to  use  the  formula  "  I  want  Jools,"  any 
more  than  it  did  to  Ali  Baba  to  cry  "  Open  Ses- 
ame!" at  the  portals  of  the  cave  of  the  Forty 
Robbers. 

Jools  was  the  head  waiter,  a  man  of  the  first 
distinction,  with  a  small  imperial,  the  envy  and 
the  proud  despair  of  all  the  compatriots  who  shared 
his  exile  in  an  alien  country.  It  had  the  choice  per- 
fection which  art  is  sometimes  able  to  superimpose 
upon  nature.  Jools  was  of  slight,  even  mean, 
physique,  but  he  had  the  ease  of  bearing  which 
comes  of  having  been  somebody  for  several  gen- 
erations. He  held  the  key  to  the  finest  cellar  in 
London,  as  his  father  before  him  had  held  the  key 
to  the  finest  cellar  of  Paris,  and  his  grandfather  of 

36 


AN    ARISTOCRAT    OF    ARISTOCRATS 

that  of  Vienna.  Jools  was  an  aristocrat  of  aristo- 
crats, and  one  versed  in  the  ways  of  his  order 
would  almost  have  divined  it  from  the  amiable 
humility  with  which  he  came  forward  to  receive 
one  of  other  clay. 

"  How  do,  Jools  ?  "  said  Northcote's  companion, 
with  his  inimitable  gift  of  manner.  ''  Nasty  night. 
Let  us  have  a  quart  of  your  Chateau  Margaux. 
What  was  that  you  gave  me  before  ?  " 

Jools  screwed  up  his  furtive  brown  eyes  in  deep 
contemplation.  '^  Et  would  be  a  seventy-one,  sare,'' 
he  said,  rubbing  softly  a  forefinger  along  his  chin. 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  was,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
royally,  "  and  I  don't  care,  so  long  as  it  is  the  best 
you  have  in  the  place." 

An  air  of  magnificence  which  prosperity  had  con- 
ferred upon  the  solicitor  touched  a  chord  in  the 
proud  soul  of  Jools. 

*'  I  haf  a  seventy-three,  sare,"  said  this  aristo- 
crat, with  a  not  too  ductile  absence  of  condescen- 
sion, which  he  reserved  for  the  society  of  his  equals. 

"  That  sounds  all  right,"  said  the  solicitor. 
"  We  still  number  you  among  the  few  eminent 
Christians  we  have  in  London  at  the  present  time." 

Jools  bowed  and  smiled  softly,  but  an  expression 
of  sorrow  was  seen  to  overspread  his  mat  com- 
plexion. 

"  Ef  I  had  known  before,  sare,  I  would  haf  had 
it  decanted." 

"  We  must  all  abase  ourselves  before  the  despot- 
ism of  necessity,"  said  the  solicitor's  hollow-eyed 
companion,  who  was  already  under  the  stimulus  of 
an  intense  anticipation.  *'  She  has  reverence  for 
nothing..    Even  your  Chateau  Margaux  '73,  which 

37 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

no  doubt  is  divine,  must  forego  the  rights  and  trap- 
pings of  its  royalty." 

"  You  must  forgive  him,  Jools,"  said  the  solici- 
tor, enjoying  the  effect  upon  the  waiter  of  these 
deep  tones.  "  He  is  talking  prose,  although,  unlike 
your  immortal  compatriot,  I  am  afraid  he  knows 
it." 

Jools  summoned  one  of  another  mould  to  receive 
the  baser  order  of  a  thick  soup  and  a  cut  from  the 
saddle,  while  he  himself,  beaming  with  pleasure 
and  shrugging  his  shoulders  furiously,  went  forth 
accompanied  by  an  awe-stricken  satellite  personally 
to  select  one  of  those  royal  wines,  which  lent  a 
touch  of  romantic  grace  to  the  exile  of  this  artist 
in  a  foreign  country. 

Seated  on  cushions  in  the  cosiest  of  all  imagi- 
nable corners,  with  spotless  lawn  and  bright  silver 
before  him,  the  starving  man  enveloped  his  nostrils 
in  the  delicious  fumes  that  arose  from  his  plate. 
These  aromatic  vapors  seemed  to  pervade  his  being 
like  some  intoxicating  hashish,  or  a  pungent  but 
subtle  Arabian  tobacco.  He  toyed  with  the  pepper 
and  salt,  and  crumbled  his  bread  with  a  devouring 
eagerness,  which  he  kept  in  check  sufficiently  to 
refuse  at  first  to  swallow  a  spoonful  of  the  magic 
food,  in  order  that  he  might  obtain  this  sense  of 
inebriation  to  the  full.  His  companion,  whose  per- 
fectly normal  and  healthy  hunger  permitted  no  such 
refinements  as  these,  had  already  tasted  and  en- 
joyed. 

"  Excellent  soup,"  he  said.  "  It's  got  quite  a 
bouquet  to  it.  I'm  almost  glad  I  missed  my  dinner. 
One  of  these  days  I  shall  do  it  again." 

The   satisfaction   which   in   these   circumstances 
38 


AN    ARISTOCRAT    OF    ARISTOCRATS 

consumes  the  average  sensual  person  grew  so 
acute,  that  by  the  time  he  had  swallowed  half  of  his 
plateful,  he  cried  out  to  the  nearest  waiter :  **  Hi ! 
you,  Alphonse  —  have  the  goodness  to  tell  the  chef 
to  step  this  way,  will  you?" 

Northcote  placed  the  first  spoonful  on  his  tongue, 
and  indescribable  pangs  seemed  to  mount  to  his 
brain.  A  fierce  desire  overpowered  him.  He  de- 
voured another  spoonful,  and  then  another.  Sud- 
denly he  was  overcome  by  a  strange  fury  of  greed. 
His  plate  was  empty,  and  his  palate  had  lost  its 
original  fineness,  before  he  was  able  to  impose 
a  check  upon  his  passion. 

Great,  however,  as  his  expedition  had  been  in  its 
later  stages,  it  had  scarcely  surpassed  that  of  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  who  from  the  first  had  been  devouring 
steadily.  No  sooner  had  that  gentleman  eaten  his 
final  mouthful  than  he  ordered  both  plates  to  be 
replenished. 

At  this  moment,  by  one  of  those  significant  co- 
operations of  events  which  form  the  basis  of  the 
drama,  a  large,  fat,  frock-coated,  and  pomatumed 
gentleman  appeared,  a  little  sheath  of  quiet  smiles 
twinkling  all  over  his  person,  as  though  the  playful 
god  of  love  was  in  hiding  behind  his  ample  shirt- 
front  and  slyly  tickling  his  bosom  with  feathers. 

"  Hommage,  monsieur  le  chef,  hommage !  "  cried 
Mr.  Whitcomb.  "  Cette  consomme  est  delicieuse. 
Vous  etes  un  vrai  ruban  bleu." 

The  chef  emitted  a  loud  purr  of  satisfaction  like 
an  unusually  large  Persian  cat.  And  then  by  a  still 
more  exquisite  cooperation  of  events  than  that 
which  had  already  preceded  this  incident,  who 
should  appear  but  Jools,  behind  whom  his  attend- 

39 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ant  satellite  was  mincing  with  a  warmed  decanter 
of  wine. 

"  Two  more  glasses,  Jools,  if  you  please,'*  said 
the  solicitor.  "  Monsieur  le  chef  and  your  worthy 
self  will  honor  us,  I  hope.  The  first  product  of 
your  country  will  not  prove  unworthy  of  two  of  its 
most  distinguished  sons." 

A  look  of  rapture  sprang  to  the  proud  eyes  of 
Jools,  and  he  measured  four  glasses  of  wine  with  an 
agitation  that  was  more  dignified  than  perfect  com- 
posure. 

''  To  I'Entente  Cordiale,  messieurs,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  raising  his  glass. 

"  L'Entente  Cordiale !  "  chimed  the  others. 

*'  It  is  part  of  my  religion,"  said  Mr.  Whit- 
comb, "  never  to  encounter  the  artistic  temperament 
without  rendering  my  homage.  If  we  had  only  a 
trace  of  it  in  this  country  to  fuse  and  rarefy  our 
other  manifold  gifts  and  blessings,  I  believe  we 
should  become  the  most  perfect  nation  upon  the 
earth." 

"  Is  it  not,  sir,  the  absence  of  it  that  makes  you 
English  so  perfect  ?  "  said  the  chef,  who  had  all  the 
alert  intelligence  of  his  race. 

"That  is  not  a  thrust,  monsieur?" 

"  Ah,  no.  As  a  citizen  of  the  world  I  make  it 
my  duty  never  to  wound  the  English.  I  respect 
your  country;  there  are  seasons  when  I  adore  it." 

"  Ees  it  not  the  land  of  justice,  order,  and  lib- 
erty?" said  Jools. 

*'  Justice  we  have  for  those  who  can  afford  to 
pay  for  it,"  said  the  solicitor ;  "'  that  is  to  say,  the 
poor  man  is  quite  unable  to  purchase  it,  and  even 
the  rich  finds  it  costs  a  great  deal  of  money.    Order 

40 


AN    ARISTOCRAT    OF   ARISTOCRATS 

we  have ;  it  is  the  birthright  of  us  all  —  an  adum- 
bration of  our  exaggerated  reverence  for  mud,  and 
stones,  and  bricks,  and  mortar.  Liberty,  Jools,  I 
regret  to  say,  we  have  not.  We  are  all  base 
slaves  —  " 

"  Of  the  External,"  said  Northcote,  with  a  lustre 
in  his  eyes  that  the  wine  had  kindled.  "  There  is 
no  slave  like  a  Saxon.  In  his  scheme  of  sense  the 
eye  takes  precedence.    Even  his  religion  is  Money." 

"  Ah,  no,"  said  the  chef,  with  much  amiability, 
"  you  English  have  no  avarice  like  we  have  in  my 
native   Normandy." 

"  An  Englishman's  avarice  is  not  of  the  heart, 
but  of  the  spirit,"  said  Northcote,  with  the  melan- 
choly calmness  of  one  who  knows  everything. 

"  You  haf  your  Shakespeare,  your  Milton,"  said 
Jools. 

"  I  think  sometimes  we  could  afford  to  exchange 
them  both  for  your  Honore  Balzac,"  said  North- 
cote. 

"  You  would  be  unwise  to  do  so,"  said  the  chef. 
"  Your  Shakespeare  is  among  the  first  order  of 
mankind.  He  is  greater  than  Moliere;  my  faith! 
he  is  as  great  as  Napoleon." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  but  your  Honore  Balzac 
showed  the  bourgeoisie  its  every  form  and  fea- 
ture." 

"  Truly,"  said  the  chef,  with  a  sly  laugh ;  "  but 
you  have  ceased  to  be  bourgeois  in  your  England 
nowadays." 

"Since  when,  sir?"  said  the  young  advocate, 
with  a  flame  in  his  eyes.  "  Since  we  have  learned 
the  trick  of  calling  our  mean  ambitions  by  high- 
sounding  names  ?  " 

41 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

The  solicitor  filled  up  the  glasses  of  Northcote 
and  the  chef. 

"  You  speak  well,  my  friends,"  he  said,  with  his 
richest  chuckle ;  "  although  myself  being  a  middle- 
class  Englishman,  I  am  sorry  to  say  your  discourse 
is  over  my  head.  But  if  it  is  to  be  my  privilege  to 
maintain  the  talk  upon  this  extremely  high  level, 
it  will  cost  me,  Jools  —  " 

"  It  will  cost  him,  Jools,"  interrupted  Northcote, 
with  a  truculent  glance  at  the  waiter. 

'*  It  will  cost  me,  Jools,"  said  the  solicitor,  with 
an  imperturbable  smile,  "  an  extra  quart  at  least 
of  your  Chateau  Margaux." 

At  the  moment  this  order  fell  on  deaf  ears,  for 
the  lips  of  Jools  were  trembling  with  speech  like 
those  of   Socrates. 

"  We  will  give  you  our  Honore  de  Balzac,  sare," 
he  said,  with  a  heavy  sigh,  "  ef  you  will  part  wiz 
your   Shikspeare." 

"  Also  our  Voltaire,"  said  the  chef,  with  a  leer 
at  his  melancholy  compatriot,  "if  they  will  part 
with  their  Shakespeare." 

"  Your  Honore  Balzac  is  only  just  coming  into 
his  own,"  said  Northcote,  with  immense  solemnity. 

"  That  is  to  say,  sir,"  said  the  chef,  "  a  reputa- 
tion must  be  established  at  least  a  hundred  years 
in  the  arts  before  the  world  can  be  decorated  with 
the  radiance  that  proceeds  from  the  enormous  fire 
it  holds  in  its  bowels." 

"  True,  monsieur,"  said  Northcote.  "  It  is  like 
a  new-born  planet.  It  has  to  be  allowed  to  cool 
a  little  before  it  can  assume  a  shape,  and  the  won- 
derful vegetation  begins  to  appear  upon  it.  It  can- 
not be  approached  at  first;  it  is  a  mere  ball  of  fire 

42 


AN   ARISTOCRAT    OF   ARISTOCRATS 

in  the  heavens,  without  form  and  without  meaning 
to  the  human  eyes." 

"Or  it  ees  like  a  young  wine,  sare;  it  must  be 
allowed  time  to  mature,"  said  Jools. 

"  It  is  the  worst  feature,  Jools,"  said  the  solici- 
tor, "  of  this  claret  of  yours,  that  it  always  unlocks 
the  door  for  these  pleasantries.  And  this  British 
skull  of  mine  is  so  packed  with  business,  that  with 
our  shopkeeping  instinct  of  transacting  a  little  of  it 
whenever  and  wherever  we  can,  before  we  fall  upon 
the  latest  theories  in  regard  to  the  composition  of 
matter,  with  every  reluctance,  I  shall  ask  you  and 
your  distinguished  compatriot  to  withdraw  for  the 
space  of  one  hour." 

"  Personally,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  believe  the 
universe  is  not  made  up  of  matter  at  all." 

"  In  other  words,  sir,"  said  the  chef,  **  matter 
is  —  " 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  my  friends,"  said  the  solic- 
itor ;  "  but  with  true  Britannic  effrontery,  this 
business  of  mine  even  seeks  to  take  precedence  of 
the  mystery  of  the  universe." 

"  There  is  no  such  thing  as  the  universe,"  said 
Northcote,  draining  his  glass  with  great  decision. 
"  The  whole  of  it  is  contained  within  ourselves." 

*'  Peace,  peace !  "  said  the  solicitor.  "  We  will 
resume  our  speculations,  with  the  permission  of 
our  good  friends,  in  the  space  of  one  hour." 

Filled  with  every  fraternal  and  complacent  feel- 
ing, Jools  and  his  distinguished  compatriot  bowed 
smilingly,  and  with  a  profound  regard  for  the  solic- 
itor and  the  advocate,  retired,  in  opposite  directions, 
to  those  spheres  of  activity  in  which  there  was  none 
to  dispute  their  supremacy. 

43 


VI 

A    PROPHECY 

"  And  now,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  as  the  decks 
are  clear,  let  me  say  this  is  a  rather  odd  affair 
which  has  sent  me  hungry  about  the  streets  of 
London  at  an  unpleasant  hour." 

"Am  I  not  surprisingly  cool  about  it?"  said 
Northcote,  with  a  flushed  face,  balancing  his  empty 
wine-glass  on  the  handle  of  a  knife,  '*  considering 
that  this  business  of  yours  is  destined  to  mark  the 
turning-point  in  my  career." 

"  When  a  man  begins  to  talk  of  his  career,"  said 
the  solicitor,  "  it  is  safe  to  infer  that  he  has  taken 
the  wrong  quantity  of  liquor.     Waiter !  " 

"Sare?" 

"  Tell  Jools  we  want  another  pint  of  this  filthy 
stuff  —  this  what-do-you-call-it  ?  —  with  which  he 
is  poisoning  us.  And,  Alphonse,  have  a  couple  of 
Welsh  rarebits  ready  by  the  time  we  want  them." 

The  waiter  withdrew,  walking  delicately;  and 
the  solicitor  bent  across  the  table  towards  his  com- 
panion in  a  manner  of  confidential  gravity. 

"  Correct  me  if  I  am  wrong,"  said  he,  "  but  you 
have  done  no  circuit  work  ?  " 

"  Hitherto  I  have  not  soared  beyond  a  police- 
court,"  said  the  young  man,  with  perfect  frank- 
ness. ''  And  even  there  I  have  only  made  a  public 
display  of  my  incapacity  on  half  a  dozen  occa- 
sions." 


A    PROPHECY 

"  A  beginner  one  might  say,  yet  an  ambitious 
one." 

*'  Where  do  you  get  the  ambition  from  ?  " 

**  It  is  in  the  color  of  your  eyes.  Besides,  have 
you  not  a  habit  of  turning  your  phrases?  " 

"  If  I  did  not  know  you  to  be  a  connoisseur  in 
men  of  promise  I  should  not  be  convinced." 

"  That's  my  foible,  right  enough,"  said  the  solic- 
itor, with  a  laugh.  "  A  connoisseur  in  men  of  prom- 
ise. Samuel  Whitcomb  owes  his  own  reputation  to 
that,  and  he  is  proud  to  believe  that  the  reputations 
of  half  a  score  of  those  who  are  in  every  way  his 
superiors  are  to  be  traced  to  that  source." 

"  Laying  aside  the  question  of  superiority,  all  the 
world  knows  it." 

"  I  gave  Finnemore  Jones  his  first  brief,"  said  the 
solicitor,  immodestly.  "  I  provided  Cooper,  How- 
ard, and  Harrington  with  the  opportunities  that 
made  them  famous." 

"  And  above  all,"  said  the  young  advocate,  meas- 
uring with  a  stealthy  eye  the  man  before  him,  "  are 
you  not  the  discoverer  of  Michael  Tobin  ?  " 

''  Ha !  "  cried  the  solicitor,  as  he  brought  his  fist 
upon  the  table  with  an  air  of  unmistakable  triumph, 
"  I  was  holding  that  back." 

"  As  the  crown  of  your  achievement?  " 

"  Yes ;  Michael  Tobin  is  almost  here.  But  how 
do  you  come  to  suspect  it,  when  at  present  his  qual- 
ity is  only  known  to  the  few  ?  " 

"  I  am  one  of  them,"  said  Northcote,  looking  his 
companion  imperturbably  in  the  eyes. 

Such  a  cool  affirmation  seemed  to  delight  the 
solicitor. 

"  Well,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  you  were," 

45 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

he  said,  with  a  violent  chuckle.  "  If  I  had  not  had 
some  such  suspicion  I  might  not  have  climbed  up 
all  those  dark  stairs  at  a  quarter-past  ten  of  a  win- 
ter's night/' 

"  Without  your  dinner/' 

"  Without  my  dinner.  Why,  if  that  fellow  hasn't 
forgotten  the  black  currant  jelly.  But  here  he  comes 
with  his  poisonous  claret." 

"  fobin  is  a  brilliant  man,"  said  Northcote,  pois- 
ing his  glass  after  having  replenished  it.  "  Irish 
to  the  bone;  a  real  discovery;  ought  to  go  far. 
But  far  as  he  ought  to  go  and  will  go,  there  is  one 
name  in  your  list  that  will  surpass  him." 

"  That  is  where  I  cannot  agree  with  you,  my  son," 
said  the  solicitor,  with  confidential  and  parental  bon- 
homie, for  this  subject  lay  at  the  source  of  his  in- 
tellectual pride.  "  You  must  know  somewhat  to 
have  found  out  about  Tobin;  but  when  you  name 
his  superior  you  betray  your  youth." 

"  I  concede  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  name 
Tobin's  superior  without  betraying  my  youth." 

"  Go  to,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  an  air  of  indul- 
gence that  he  reserved  for  the  young  and  promising. 
*'  Don't  labor  the  point.  It  wants  experience  to  de- 
tect greatness  in  the  shell.  Michael  Tobin  will  easily 
be  the  first  upon  my  list." 

"  There  is  one  who  will  surpass  Michael  Tobin," 
said  the  young  man. 

"  Not  among  those  I  have  mentioned." 

"  True.  As  is  usual  with  the  prophet,  you  don't 
dare  to  affirm  the  authentic  name." 

"  Upon  my  word  I  can't  think  who  you  mean !  " 

"  One  Henry  Northcote." 

46 


A   PROPHECY 

The  solicitor  broke  forth  in  a  suppressed  shout 
of  laughter. 

"  Good !  "  he  said ;  "  you'll  do.  Fill  up  your 
glass  and  we'll  get  to  work.  And  I'm  glad  your 
talent  is  so  remarkable,  because  I've  got  some  busi- 
ness here  that  is  likely  to  tax  it." 

"It  is  increasingly  clear  to  me  that  you  are  the 
genie,"  said  the  young  advocate  in  a  low  voice,  and 
fetching  a  deep  breath. 


47 


VII 

THE   OFFER    OF   A    BRIEF 

The  solicitor  drew  from  an  inner  pocket  of  his 
coat  a  bundle  of  papers  tied  with  red  tape.  He 
placed  them  on  the  table  at  the  side  of  his  plate, 

**  At  the  eleventh  hour/'  he  said,  speaking  coolly 
and  distinctly,  "  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  undertake 
the  defence  in  a  trial  for  murder.'' 

Northcote  was  conscious  of  no  more  than  a  slight 
sharp  throb  of  the  pulses  as  he  met  the  shrewd,  even 
cunning,  eyes  of  the  man  who  sat  opposite. 

"  Yes,  that's  a  chance  for  Henry  Northcote," 
were  his  first  words,  uttered  under  the  breath. 

'*  The  fee  is  not  much,"  said  the  solicitor,  with 
the  precision  of  the  man  of  affairs  entering  his  fat 
voice.  "  You  will  not  be  briefed  at  more  than 
twenty  guineas." 

"  To-night  I  think  I  would  sell  my  soul  for  half 
that  sum,"  said  the  young  man,  with  an  excited 
laugh. 

"  Is  not  that  a  somewhat  damaging  admission 
for  you  to  make?  "  said  the  solicitor. 

"I  agree,  I  agree,"  said  the  young  man;  "but 
the  truth  is  never  discreet." 

"  There's  no  money  in  this  case,"  said  the  solicitor, 
"  and  I'm  afraid  there  is  no  kudos.  It  is  one  of 
those  disagreeable  cases  which  are  not  only  irre- 
claimably  sordid,  but  also  as  dead  as  mutton.  In 
order  to  obtain  a  small  sum  of  money,  a  woman 

43 


THE    OFFER    OF    A    BRIEF 

of  the  '  unfortunate '  class  has  poisoned  a  man  with 
whom  she  Hved.  She  is  one  of  those  cold-blooded 
persons  who  are  born  for  the  gallows.  There  is 
enough  evidence  to  hang  her  ten  times.  We  shall 
be  forced  to  submit  to  the  inevitable." 

"  You  disappoint  me,"  said  Northcote.  "  I  was 
thinking  of  a  real  fighting  case." 

The  solicitor  smiled,  with  a  faint  suggestion  of 
patronage. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Vm  sure,"  said  the  young 
man,  quickly.  "  Had  there  been  any  life  in  the  case 
you  would  not  have  carried  it  to  one  so  obscure. 
Even  as  it  is,  I  ought  to  be  grateful  to  you  —  and 
I  am  grateful  indeed  —  for  putting  it  in  my 
way." 

^'  The  circumstances  of  this  case  are  somewhat 
peculiar,"  said  the  solicitor.  "  We  are  under  rather 
severe  pressure  in  the  matter  of  time.  The  case  will 
be  called  on  the  day  after  to-morrow  at  the  Central 
Criminal  Court." 

"  That  hardly  explains  away  your  kindness 
towards  myself.  Even  at  this  short  notice  you 
could  have  got  plenty  of  men  to  have  consented  to 
a  verdict." 

"  I  am  aware  of  it,  but  then  it  is  not  quite  the 
method  of  Whitcomb  and  Whitcomb.  We  like 
*  Thorough  '  to  be  our  motto.  If  we  accept  a  client, 
we  feel  we  owe  it  to  ourselves  to  leave  no  stone 
unturned,  irrespective  of  position  or  emolument." 

"  But  I  understand  this  case  is  too  dead  to  be 
fought?" 

"  Ah,  we  are  now  about  to  approach  the  first  of 
the  '  peculiar '  circumstances.  At  five  o'clock  this 
evening  Tobin  himself  was  holding  this  brief,  but 

49 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

at  that  hour  his  bicycle  had  the  misfortune  to  colHde 
with  a  motor-car,  and  the  poor  fellow  now  lies  in 
hospital  with  a  compound  fracture  of  the  right 
thigh." 

"  Poor  fellow,  poor  fellow !  " 

"  I  think  you  and  I  are  agreed  that  Tobin  is  with- 
out a  rival  in  a  case  of  this  nature." 

"  You  must  forgive  me  if  I  express  surprise  that 
Tobin  should  have  accepted  the  brief." 

"  That  is  easily  explained.  Tobin  is  the  generous- 
hearted  Irishman  who  is  never  weary  of  affirming 
that  Whitcomb  and  Whitcomb  gave  him  his  start. 
He  never  refuses  us,  and  I  am  afraid  we,  in  the 
interests  of  a  client,  trade  occasionally  on  his  good 
nature." 

*'  Then  the  practitioners  of  law  are  sometimes 
more  disinterested  than  they  seem." 

"  My  dear  fellow,  among  a  considerable  body  of 
men  must  there  not  be  a  leaven  of  human  nature? 
And  my  own  experience  is  that  human  nature  is 
so  much  more  disinterested  than  the  young  and 
cynical  like  to  consider  it." 

"  That  is  well  said,"  replied  Northcote,  feeling 
the  rebuke  to  be  merited. 

"  And  so  you  see,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  in  regard 
to  this  wretched  woman  whom  we  had  undertaken 
to  defend,  we  were  in  the  position  of  being  able 
to  brief  a  first-rate  man  for  a  third-rate  fee." 

"  Yet  a  third-rate  man  would  have  served  your 
purpose  equally  well,  if  one  is  allowed  to  hazard 
the  remark." 

"  No ;  for  this  reason :  the  woman  has  long  been 
of  intemperate  habits.  Prior  to  the  commission  of 
the  crime  she  was  known  to  be  drinking  heavily, 

50 


THE    OFFER    OF    A    BRIEF 

and  Tobin,  who  is  a  real  fighting  man,  if  ever  there 
was  one,  had  decided  to  take  the  line  of  insanity." 

"  As  the  only  possible  means  of  saving  her  neck?  " 

"  There  is  no  other.  And  even  in  the  hands  of 
such  a  man  as  Tobin,  the  chance  is  remote.  He 
has  his  witnesses  to  call,  of  course,  in  support  of 
his  plea,  but  they  cannot  be  considered  as  entirely 
satisfactory.  And,  unfortunately,  their  evidence 
will  be  rebutted  by  that  of  the  prison  doctors,  who 
are  against  us." 

'*  Then,  after  all,"  said  the  young  man,  with  a 
sunken  eagerness  appearing  in  his  eyes,  "  there  will 
be  opportunities  for  advocacy." 

"  Pretty  considerable  opportunities,  if  we  are  to 
save  her  neck." 

"  Then  forgive  me  if  again  I  put  the  question, 
Why  did  you  come  to  a  tyro  with  a  case  of  this 
nature  ?  " 

'*  How  can  you  ask,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  an 
arch  smile,  "  when  the  tyro  happens  to  be  one  Henry 
Northcote?" 

"  Upon  your  own  admission  that  is  a  name  that 
has  no  particular  significance  for  you." 

"  Nay,  you  go  too  fast,  my  friend.  It  must  be 
left  to  the  future  to  place  the  name  of  Henry  North- 
cote, but  let  me  confess  that  in  the  meantime  the 
bearer  of  it  has  not  wholly  escaped  my  vigilance." 

"  In  your  capacity  as  a  connoisseur  in  young  men 
of  promise  ?  " 

"  Precisely." 

"  Upon  what  data  have  you  built,  when  you  have 
never  seen  him  in  open  court  ?  " 

"  My  dear  fellow,  you  are  as  curious  as  a 
woman." 

51 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Every  comprehensive  mind  is  partly  feminine." 

"  No  mind  can  be  in  any  sense  feminine.  It  is 
a  contradiction  in  terms." 

"  Well,  well !  From  what  data  have  you  derived 
the  courage  to  entrust  an  untried  man  with  the  de- 
fence in  a  trial  for  murder  ?  " 

"To  be  perfectly  frank,  it  was  Tobin  who  found 
the  courage  for  me." 

"Tobin!" 

"  No  less." 

"  Why,  Tobin  doesn't  know  me  from  Adam." 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  friend ;  don't  come  to  conclu- 
sions so  abruptly.     Tobin  has  his  eyes  about  him." 

"  Well,  yes,  that  is  an  attribute  that  is  common 
to  all  who  become  first-rate  in  anything." 

"  Let  me  tell  you  exactly  what  occurred.  I  was 
on  the  point  of  leaving  Chancery  Lane  about  six, 
and  beginning  to  think  about  my  dinner,  when  I 
received  poor  Tobin's  telegram  to  say  he  was  tucked 
up  in  hospital  with  a  broken  thigh,  and  would  I 
come  to  him  at  once.  Of  course  I  went;  and  there 
the  poor  fellow  was  in  a  devilish  uncomfortable 
attitude,  as  white  as  the  sheets,  face  drawn  with 
pain,  but  himself  as  cool  as  ice. 

"  *  We  shall  have  to  apply  for  a  postponement,' 
were  his  first  words. 

"  '  In  any  case,  old  boy,'  said  I,  *  I  shall  relieve 
you  of  further  responsibility.' 

"  *  Not  much ! '  said  he.  '  Get  a  postponement 
until  next  sessions;  I  am  going  to  save  the  poor 
beggar's  neck.' 

"  *  Why,  old  boy,'  I  said,  fixing  him  up  with  a 
cigarette,  *  you  will  be  lying  here  in  your  little  bed 
until  next  sessions.' 

52 


THE    OFFER    OF    A    BRIEF 

**  *  Not  for  me/  he  said ; '  not  for  Michael.  I  shall 
be  in  court  on  two  sticks  a-saving  the  poor  beggar's 
neck.' 

"  *  Now,  look  here,  old  son,'  said  I,  *  just  let  the 
whole  thing  go,  and  we'll  put  up  somebody  else.' 

''  *  If  you  do,'  said  he,  '  as  sure  as  a  gun  she's  a 
gonner." 

"  '  I  am  afraid  I  agree,'  said  I ;  '  but  if  our  fair 
client  is  not  a  fit  subject  for  the  rope,  upon  my  soul 
there's  no  need  to  hang  anybody.' 

**  Well,  the  next  thing  I  saw  was  that  his  eyes 
were  full  of  tears. 

"  '  Oh,  damn  it  all ! '  he  said,  '  I  can't  stand  this 
hanging  of  women.' 

"  *  She's  an  out-and-outer,'  said  I. 

"  '  That  doesn't  alter  her  sex,'  said  the  Irishman. 

"  *  Well,'  said  I,  '  who  can  you  suggest  to  put  up 
in  your  stead  with  your  plea  of  insanity?  The  dif- 
ficulty is  the  brief  is  only  marked  twenty  guineas, 
and  you  can't  get  much  for  that  money  with  you 
fellows.' 

*'  *  You  can't,'  said  he ;  *  besides,  this  is  a  case 
for  Michael.  Unless  it  is  handled  in  a  certain  way 
she  is  certain  to  hang.    Apply  for  a  postponement.' 

"  *  Why,  you  old  sentimentalist,  I  don't  think  we 
could  get  one,'  said  I,  having  pretty  well  made  up 
my  mind  that  we  could  not. 

"  *  Who  is  the  judge?  '  said  he. 

''  *  Bow-wow  Brudenell,'  said  I,  '  the  most  pedan- 
tic and  cantankerous  old  man  on  the  bench.  And 
Weekes  is  leading  for  the  Crown.  There  will  not 
be  much  in  the  way  of  accommodation  in  that  quar- 
ter.' 

"  *  Oh,  come,  old  Bow-wow  is  not  such  a  bad  old 

53 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

sportsman,'  said  the  Irishman.  *  Tell  him  just  how 
it  is ;  tell  him  I'm  suddenly  laid  by  the  wing,  and  it 
will  be  all  right.' 

"  '  But,'  said  I,  '  even  if  we  get  a  postponement, 
we  shall  be  none  the  better  for  it.  It  can't  be  ex- 
tended indefinitely;  and  I  am  afraid,  old  boy,  this 
is  going  to  be  a  long  business  of  yours.  I  think 
I  shall  hand  the  brief  over  to  Harris.' 

'*  At  first  I  was  afraid  the  wild  Irishman  was 
going  to  jump  out  of  his  plaster  of  Paris. 

"  '  Harris ! '  said  he.  '  My  aunt !  I  wouldn't  brief 
Harris  to  defend  a  fox-terrier  for  worrying  a  tor- 
toise-shell kitten.' 

"  '  I'll  admit,'  said  I,  '  that  Christopher  is  not  a 
genius,  but  at  least  he  will  get  our  unfortunate  client 
hanged  like  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman.' 

'*  I  spent  nearly  an  hour  arguing  the  point  with 
the  poor  old  fellow.  *  I  don't  hold  with  dumb  ani- 
mals performing  on  the  stage,  and  I  don't  hold 
with  the  hanging  of  women,'  he  kept  saying,  in 
that  odd  way  of  his  which  one  doesn't  know  exactly 
how  to  take. 

"  '  Look  here,  old  son,'  I  said  at  last,  growing 
impatient,  '  this  will  have  to  be  fixed  up  with  Harris 
to-night;  and  if  I  can't  get  Harris,  I  shall  get 
Westby.' 

"  '  She  can  hand  in  her  checks  if  you  get  either,' 
said  he.  '  She'll  be  hanged  by  the  neck  without  even 
a  run  for  her  money.' 

"  *  Well,  you  can't  get  "  silk  "  for  twenty  guin- 
eas,' said  I ;  *  and  you  can't  get  a  really  useful 
junior.' 

"  Now,  here  follows  another  of  the  '  peculiar  ' 
circumstances.     Suddenly  the  wild  Irishman  lifted 

54 


THE    OFFER    OF    A    BRIEF 

himself  in  his  bed,  and  again  there  was  that  odd 
look  in  his  eyes. 

'' '  I'll  tell  you  who  you  can  get/  said  he ;  *  he's 
come  to  me  in  a  flash.    Get  that  fellow  Northcote.' 

"  '  Northcote?  '  said  I;   ^  never  heard  of  him.' 

"  '  Never  mind,  get  him,'  said  the  wild  Irishman. 
*  He's  young,  and  they  say  he's  mad,  but  he  might 
bring  us  luck.' 

"  *  For  a  chap  with  as  brilliant  a  set  of  brains  as 
are  to  be  found  in  London,'  said  I,  *  you  do  come 
out  with  some  of  the  oddest  suggestions.  How 
did  you  come  to  think  of  this  fellow  Northcote, 
when  you  won't  allow  Harris  and  Westby  to  be 
good  enough  ?  ' ' 

"  '  Oh,'  said  he,  *  he's  one  of  my  inspirations.' 

"  *  Inspiration  my  foot ! '  said  I.  *  I'm  off  to 
Christopher  Harris.' 

"  Well,  as  I  was  about  to  go,  poor  Tobin  raised 
himself  again,  and  those  queer  eyes  came  at  me 
in  a  way  I  don't  like. 

"  '  Look  here,  Whitcomb,'  he  said ;  '  you  were 
a  pal  to  me  when  I  had  hardly  a  boot  to  my  foot, 
but  if  you  go  to  Harris  I'll  never  speak  to  you 
again.' 

"  '  Lie  down,  you  damned  Celt,  and  go  to  sleep,' 
I  said,  *  and  I'll  come  and  talk  to  you  another  day.' 

"  '  I  won't  lie  down  until  you  promise  to  go  to 
Northcote  at  No.  3  Shepherd's  Inn.' 

"  '  King's  Bench  Walk,'  I  assured  him,  *  will  be 
far  better.  If  I  can't  have  a  reckless  fellow  like 
you,  I  mean  to  play  for  safety.' 

"  *  All  the  safety  in  the  world,'  said  he,  '  won't 
save  the  poor  beggar's  neck.' 

*'  *  That's  all  very  well,'  said  I,  *  but  an  inexperi- 

55 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

enced  man  might  come  a  dreadful  cropper  in  a  case 
of  this  kind.  I  beHeve  myself  in  a  moderate  amount 
of  speculation,  but  not  in  a  capital  charge.' 

'* '  It's  her  only  chance,'  said  the  Irishman. 

"  *  I  am  afraid,'  said  I,  '  her  attorneys  are  not 
willing  to  provide  her  with  it  at  the  risk  of  decency.' 

"  *  There's  your  Saxon,'  said  he.  '  Even  when 
they  hang  a  woman,  they  insist  on  decency.  Praise 
be  to  the  saints,  we  haven't  got  any  decency  in  our 
dirty  old  island.' 

"  *  No,'  said  I ;  '  but  you've  got  a  good  deal  of 
superstition.  Whatever  put  this  fellow  Northcote 
into  your  wild  head?  I  never  remember  to  have 
heard  of  him  in  court.' 

"  *  I  don't  care  what  you've  heard  of  him,'  said 
the  Irishman,  *  this  is  where  he  gets  his  chance. 
He'll  bring  us  luck.' 

"  '  Luck ! '  said  I.  *  A  lawyer's  luck  is  based  on 
common  sense  and  the  capacity  to  see  into  the  fu- 
ture.' 

"  *  We  crack-brained  Celts  possess  that  capacity,' 
said  Tobin.  '  You  can  come  and  tell  me  on  Monday 
whether  I've  been  wrong.' 

"  *  Is  Northcote  an  Irishman,  too  ?  '  I  asked,  feel- 
ing myself  beginning  to  waver;  and  I  don't  mind 
confessing  that  I  have  never  been  able  to  withstand 
Michael  Tobin  from  the  first  hour  I  met  him. 

"  *  I've  only  seen  the  man  twice,'  said  he ;  *  but 
if  he  doesn't  carry  a  drop  of  the  Celt  under  his 
waistcoat,  Cork  was  not  my  birthplace.' 

"  *  Have  you  seen  him  in  court  ?  ' 

"  *  Not  I.  The  first  time  I  saw  him  he  was  ad- 
dressing a  few  well-chosen  remarks,  quoting  the 
pagan  philosophers,  to  a  select  gathering  of  the  un- 

56 


THE    OFFER    OP   A    BRIEF 

employed  in  Hyde  Park.  M'Murdo  was  with  me. 
"  My  hat,"  said  he,  "  that's  a  fellow  called  North- 
cote;  he's  at  the  bar.  A  nice  place  for  a  barrister, 
isn't  it?"  "Personally,"  said  I,  *' I  don't  care  a 
curse  about  the  place,  but  I'd  give  ten  years  of  my 
life  to  have  his  voice."  There  the  thing  was  boom- 
ing like  an  organ,  and  we  stayed  half  an  hour  lis- 
tening to  rhetoric  that  might  have  come  out  of 
Burke.' 

"  *  And  the  second  time?  ' 

"  '  I  have  only  the  haziest  recollection  of  the  oc- 
casion. Where  it  was  I  can't  recall,  but  the  mob 
orator  was  paraphrasing  *'  Hamlet "  to  gain  facility 
of  expression.  But  I  remember  thinking,  "  My 
son,  you  will  be  bursting  upon  an  astonished  world 
one  of  these  fine  afternoons,  and  then  we  shall  all 
be  complaining  about  your  luck  for  being  born  so 
gifted."  ' 

"  And  so,  my  dear  Northcote,  to  round  up  a  long 
story,  thus  it  was  I  came  to  stand  in  your  chambers, 
dinnerless,  at  a  quarter-past  ten  of  a  winter's 
night." 

As  is  not  uncommon  with  those  who  possess  men- 
tal energy,  the  solicitor,  under  the  stimulus  of  wine 
and  events,  had  an  immense  volubility.  During 
this  recital  the  claret  had  circulated  freely  between 
his  companion  and  himself.  Both  their  faces  were 
flushed,  and,  moreover,  the  emotions  which  had  been 
excited  in  the  young  advocate  had  filled  him  with 
a  kind  of  vertigo. 

"  After  all,"  said  he,  resting  his  forehead  on  his 
hand  and  staring  into  vacancy,  "  it  is  most  probably 
Tobin  who  is  the  genie." 

"  Set  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief,"  laughed  the  solic- 

57 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

itor.      "  Michael    Tobin    and    yourself    are    well 
matched  —  a  pair  of  deuced  odd  fellows." 

"  In  any  case/'  persisted  Northcote,  **  if  a  genie' 
you  are,  you  would  say  you  are  a  genie  in  spite  of 
yourself." 

"  I  say  nothing  at  all  when  it  comes  to  genies, 
said  the  solicitor  with  emphasis.  '*  I  don't  know 
anything  about  them;  they  are  not  in  my  line. 
They  don't  trouble  the  common  lawyer  in  the  pur- 
suit of  his  bread.  What  does  trouble  him  is  time, 
for  time  is  money." 

The  solicitor  took  out  his  watch,  a  thing  of  value. 

"  Twenty  past  eleven,"  he  said.  "  There's  a  for- 
tune awaiting  the  fellow  who  invents  an  automatic 
brake  to  slip  on  old  Father  Time.  I've  got  to  get 
out  to  Norbiton  to-night,  —  I  promised  my  little 
girl,  and  she  will  be  sitting  up.  But  before  I  go 
I  wish  you  would  cast  your  eyes  over  your  brief, 
and  tell  me  precisely  what  you  think  about  it." 

The  solicitor  handed  to  Northcote  the  document 
tied  with  red  tape,  and  called  again  for  the  waiter. 

"  You'll  have  a  liqueur  ?  —  they've  got  some 
white  curagao  that  might  be  worse.  And  perhaps 
some  coffee  might  help  us  at  this  stage.  Fortu- 
nately, this  is  the  one  place  in  London  where  they 
know  how  it's  made.  And,  Alphonse,  you  might 
bring  some  of  those  fireworks  that  you  call  cigars." 


5« 


VIII 

EQUITY   A    FRUIT   OF   THE   GODS 

By  the  time  the  waiter  had  returned,  the  young 
advocate  was  addressing  himself  to  the  bundle  of 
papers  with  a  remarkable  energy.  Already  a  fierce 
mental  excitement  had  stirred  him.  His  senses, 
over  stimulated  by  a  wine  of  great  potency,  and  by 
a  too  sudden  reaction  from  a  state  of  actual  bodily 
starvation,  a  fever  had  been  kindled  in  his  frame. 
And  those  high  ambitions  which  had  reconciled  him 
to  existence  through  so  long  a  period  of  the  most 
abject  penury,  yet  whose  only  home  had  been  his 
wild  dreams,  had  suddenly,  at  the  touch  of  the  magic 
wand  of  the  enchanter,  acquired  a  name  and  a  local 
habitation. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  to  the  eyes  of  the  solicitor, 
that  cool,  mature,  and  rather  cynical  man  of  the 
world,  this  young  man,  in  whom  strong  and  deep 
emotions  had  been  let  loose,  soon  became  an  object 
of  scientific  interest.  Mr.  Whitcomb  felt  himself 
to  be  even  a  little  disconcerted  by  the  feverish  man- 
ner in  which  the  young  advocate  tossed  about  the 
pages  of  his  brief.  As  he  came  to  note  the  vivid 
pallor  of  the  face  before  him,  the  burning  of  the 
eyes,  the  twitching  of  the  lips,  he  felt  a  qualm  of 
uneasiness.  Perchance  it  had  been  neither  wise  nor 
kind  to  be  so  lavish  of  the  Chateau  Margaux. 
Blood  which  had  been  deteriorated  by  a  course  of 
insuflficient  food  was  only  too  likely  to  be  over- 

59 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

charged  by  an  unaccustomed  accession  of  heat.    Al- 
ready it  had  seemed  to  be  waxing  too  high. 

"  Here  is  your  liqueur,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  with 
a  slight  perturbation,  "  and  here's  a  cigar  I've 
chosen  for  you.  And  here's  a  nice  black  coffee  that 
may  steady  you  a  bit." 

"  Thanks,  thanks,"  muttered  Northcote,  nodding 
his  head  in  a  mechanical  manner. 

The  solicitor  gulped  his  liqueur,  and  cut  off  the 
end  of  his  cigar. 

"  Well,  old  boy,"  he  said,  letting  a  somewhat 
whimsical  gaze  fall  upon  the  man  who  sat  opposite, 
*'  do  you  feel  like  giving  us  a  bit  of  a  run  for  our 
money  at  the  hour  of  ten-thirty  at  the  Central  Crim- 
inal Court  on  Friday  morning  next,  or  would  you 
prefer  that  the  chance  should  be  offered  to  Harris  ?  " 

The  advocate  swallowed  his  coffee. 

"  You  will  have  a  run  for  your  money  all  right," 
said  he,  "  on  Friday  morning  next.  Upon  my  soul, 
I  believe  you  have  given  me  a  start  with  the  most 
fascinating  case  in  the  world." 

The  solicitor  pursed  up  his  lips  in  an  expression 
of  genial  contradiction. 

"If  you  find  fascination  in  a  thing  like  that," 
he  said,  "  you  must  look  very  deep.  The  whole 
business  is  sordid,  atrocious,  bestial.  The  crime  is 
brutal  and  perfectly  commonplace." 

*'  Is  it  not  a  mere  question,"  said  the  advocate, 
"  of  the  fashion  in  which  one  uses  one's  eyes,  of 
the  plane  over  which  one  permits  them  to  stray  ?  " 

"  There  is  only  one  plane,  my  friend,"  said  the 
solicitor,  *'  over  which  an  attorney  permits  his  eyes 
to  stray.  That  is  the  obvious  diurnal  one  of  matter- 
of-fact  common  sense." 

60 


EQUITY    A    FRUIT    OF    THE    GODS 

"  Yet  it  may  happen,"  Northcote  rejoined,  "  that 
the  plane  of  matter-of-fact  common  sense  may  not 
be  identical  in  the  eyes  of  attorney  and  advocate." 

''  Is  not  the  hour  somewhat  advanced  for  a  So- 
cratic  dialogue  ?  "  said  the  solicitor. 

"  Also,"  persisted  Northcote,  "  the  plane  of  mat- 
ter-of-fact common  sense,  in  whatever  it  may  con- 
sist, may  not  prove  identical  in  the  eyes  of  the  jury 
and  the  judge;  also  in  the  eyes  of  the  person  who 
committed  the  crime,  and  the  person  who  was  the 
victim  of  it." 

"  We  are  not  here  to  traverse  the  moral  code," 
said  the  solicitor,  "  or  to  enter  the  domain  of  ab- 
stract reason.  The  English  penal  law  is  perfectly 
explicit  upon  the  point  at  issue,  as  I  think  you  will 
find  on  Friday." 

Of  a  sudden  Northcote  struck  the  table  a  violent 
blow. 

"  This  unhappy  woman  has  been  deeply  wronged 
by  circumstance,"  he  said,  with  a  vehemence  that 
was  totally  unexpected. 

"  It  will  do  your  case  no  harm  to  show  that  to 
the  jury,"  said  the  solicitor,  sucking  quietly  at  his 
cigar.  "  There  is  not  a  scrap  of  evidence  to  sup- 
port such  a  contention,  but  it  might  be  of  service 
if  it  could  be  upheld." 

"  Is  it  not  here  that  we  enter  on  the  higher  func- 
tion of  the  advocate's  art?"  said  the  young  man. 
"  Does  it  not  consist  in  the  evocation  of  that  which 
lies  outside  the  obvious?" 

"  You  must  have  it  entirely  your  own  way,  my 
dear  fellow,"  said  the  solicitor  warily.  "  I  don't 
propose  to  play  the  role  of  Adeimantus  at  this  hour 
of  the  night.    But  I  don't  mind  remarking  that  you 

6i 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

will  have  to  evoke  that  which  is  very  far  outside 
the  obvious  to  secure  the  acquittal  of  my  client  on 
Friday.'' 

"  That  is  viewing  the  subject  from  the  plane  of 
matter-of-fact  common  sense  which  you  are  content 
to  inhabit?" 

"  That  is  so ;  I  can  view  it  from  no  other.  But 
may  I  remark  in  parenthesis  that  you  are  also  likely 
to  find  the  judge  and  jury  inhabiting  that  plane  on 
Friday." 

**  You  permit  yourself  a  greater  definiteness  than 
I  dare  to  employ,"  said  Northcote.  "  But  the  point 
I  would  like  to  fix  is  this :  Assuming  that  I  am  able 
to  evoke  that  which  in  your  view  lies  so  far  outside 
the  obvious  as  to  be  non-existent,  will  you  counte- 
nance my  so  doing  in  the  prisoner's  interest?  " 

The  solicitor  gave  a  short  nervous  jerk  to  his 
mustache. 

*'  That  is  a  rather  extraordinary  proposition  to 
advance,"  he  said  disconcertedly ;  *' and  as  you 
are  a  young  man,  a  beginner,  perhaps  you  will  for- 
give my  saying  that  I  consider  you  hardly  wise  to 
advance  it." 

'*  Because  we  cannot  contrive  to  keep  our  corns 
out  of  the  way,  eh?  We  would  look  upon  equity 
as  a  sort  of  fruit  of  the  gods,  which  mankind  may 
eat  of,  but  may  not  analyze." 

"  I  shall  not  attempt  to  follow  you.  But  what 
I  would  like  to  say  is  this,  —  and  I  hope,  my  dear 
fellow,  you,  as  an  advocate,  will  not  consider  this 
as  a  breach  of  etiquette  on  the  part  of  your  client, 
• — I  don't  like  your  question  at  all.  In  a  word, 
speaking  with  twenty  years'  experience  behind  me, 
I  hardly  think  it  ought  to  have  been  put." 

63 


EQUITY    A    FRUIT    OF    THE    GODS 

The  accession  of  somewhat  strenuous  solemnity 
to  a  manner  which  a  minute  ago  had  been  grossly, 
carelessly  genial,  filled  Northcote  with  a  heavy 
mocking  laughter. 

"  I  don't  like  it  at  all ;  oughtn't  to  have  been 
put,"  Mr.  Whitcomb  reaffirmed,  with  a  curious 
admixture  of  nervousness  and  sternness, 

"  I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  acquire  the  most  val- 
uable of  all  the  arts,"  said  the  young  man,  with 
an  arch  smile;  "the  art  of  knowing  where  not  to 
look." 

"  That  art  comprises  the  first  law  of  success," 
said  the  solicitor  sententiously. 

"  I  omitted  to  append  a  rather  important  corollary 
to  that  extraordinary  proposition  of  mine,"  said 
Northcote,  with  a  mischievous  air.  "  It  is  this : 
Is  the  advocate  entitled  to  evoke  what  is  non-ex- 
istent in  the  eyes  of  his  client,  providing  it  has  an 
existence  in  his  own  ?  " 

"  I  hope  to  be  spared  anything  further  upon  the 
subject,"  said  the  solicitor.  "  I  don't  aspire  to  be 
a  casuist;  I'm  a  common  lawyer.  But  I  feel  I  am 
entitled  to  say  this:  use  this  subtlety  of  yours  on 
Friday  to  a  full  advantage,  and  you  will  have  no 
cause  to  regret  having  done  so." 

"  Yes,  it's  the  voice  of  the  genie,  right  enough," 
said  the  young  man,  in  a  hollow  voice,  as  he  toyed 
with  an  empty  wine-glass. 

"  And  I  feel  I  am  also  entitled  to  say,"  said 
the  solicitor,  with  emphasis,  "  since  your  mind  ap- 
pears to  be  exercised  by  the  question,  that  when 
an  advocate  accepts  a  brief,  his  whole  duty  is  to 
his  client." 

"  And  in  the  case  of  this  unfortunate  woman, 

63 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

will  serve  the  interests  of  his  client  by  securing  her 
acquittal  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably." 

"If  the  ends  of  justice  are  thereby  defeated?" 

**  Well,  since  you  force  one  to  say  it,  the  in- 
terests of  the  prisoner's  attorney  may  not  always  be 
coincident  with  those  of  justice." 

''  My  dear  Adeimantus,  that  is  well  said,"  the 
young  man  exclaimed.  "  Yet  I  have  your  assur- 
ance that  the  interests  of  client  and  advocate  should 
be  always  identical  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  you  are  entitled  to  say  that,"  said 
the  solicitor;  "although  understand,  if  you  please, 
I  speak  entirely  in  my  capacity  as  an  attorney." 

"  From  which  I  gather  that  as  a  unit  of  mankind, 
as  a  subscriber  to  the  common  equity,  you  reserve 
to  yourself  the  right  to  appease  your  private  gods 
subsequently  in  your  own  private  fashion?" 

"  I  suppose  one  does." 

"  And  in  the  meantime,  you  and  I,  attorney  and 
advocate,  must  compass  the  liberation  of  this  foul 
murderess,  must,  if  we  can,  give  her  back  to  so- 
ciety? " 

"  Personally,  I  shall  be  content  if  we  enable  her 
to  escape  the  extreme  penalty." 

"  You  balk  my  question." 

"  Pray  have  it  as  you  choose.  Thank  God,  I  am 
only  a  common  lawyer !  " 

"  My  dear  Samuel  Whitcomb,"  said  the  young 
man,  peering  at  him  with  gaunt  eyes,  "  you  would 
do  well  to  get  down  here  and  now  on  your  knees, 
and  thank  Him  for  a  dispensation  of  that  kind." 


64 


IX 

THE    BRIEF    WITHDRAWN 

"  Waiter  !  "  called  the  solicitor  at  this  point. 
"  More  coffee,  if  you  please.  Let  it  be  hot  and 
strong."  Turning  to  Northcote,  he  added :  "  Our 
minds  have  grown  so  subtle  with  that  claret  we've 
got  to  find  out  where  we  are." 

"  Narcotics  are  not  usually  the  friends  of  truth," 
said  his  companion. 

"  My  worthy  Samuel  Taylor,"  laughed  the 
solicitor,  "  I  hope  you  will  not  forget  I  want  to 
get  to  Norbiton  to-night." 

"  There  is  one  other  point,"  said  the  young 
man  imperturbably,  "  on  which  I  wish  to  render 
myself  clear." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  permitted  himself  a  shrug  of  un- 
mistakable expostulation. 

"  What,  another !  "  he  muttered  under  his  breath. 
'*  This  fellow  is  the  devil !  " 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  take  the  line  of  insanity." 

Northcote  spoke  with  a  quietness  which  seemed 
to  deepen  the  reverberation  of  Mr.  Whitcomb' s 
subsequent  exclamation. 

"Then  you  hang  her!" 

**  On  the  contrary,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  promise 
an  acquittal." 

For  a  moment  the  solicitor  was  robbed  of  speech 
by  this  extraordinary  announcement. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  more 
6s 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

manifest  impatience  than  any  he  had  yet  shown, 
"you  can  hardly  have  read  your  brief.  There  is 
nothing  to  extenuate  the  crime;  and  the  evidence 
of  it  is  overwhelming." 

"  Circumstantial,  apparently." 

"  You  must  know  that  in  a  capital  charge  the 
prosecution  relies  almost  invariably  upon  circum- 
stantial evidence." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  it  in  this  particular  in- 
stance." 

"  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand."  The  solicitor 
spoke  in  accents  of  alarm.  "  There  is  not  a  man 
living  who  could  overthrow  the  present  evidence." 

The  young  man  smiled  darkly.  The  symptoms 
of  his  inebriation  had  yielded  to  the  clarifying  in- 
fluence of  a  liqueur  and  two  cups  of  strong  black 
coffee.  His  calmness  was  now  forming  a  mem- 
orable contrast  to  the  marked  excitement  of  the 
older  man. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Whitcomb,"  he  said,  "  I  suggest, 
as  you  wish  to  get  to  Norbiton,  that  we  adjourn 
this  discussion  until  Friday  evening,  by  which  time 
Emma  Harrison,  alias  Cox,  alias  Marshall,  will  be 
restored  to  society." 

"  Such  an  undertaking  is  entirely  reckless,"  said 
the  solicitor  bluntly.  "  Quite  the  last  thing  that 
Tobin  himself  would  attempt  would  be  to  upset  the 
theory  of  the  prosecution.  The  chain  of  evidence 
could  not  be  more  complete.  Even  he,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  many  the  most  brilliant  common  law  man 
we  have  at  the  present  moment  at  the  bar,  would 
be  content  to  urge  extenuating  circumstances,  and 
call  witnesses  in  their  support." 

"  Since  you  have  seen  fit  to  entrust  the  conduct 
66 


THE    BRIEF    WITHDRAWN 

of  this  case  to  me,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  shall  beg 
to  be  conceded  as  free  a  hand  as  would  have  been 
conceded  to  Michael  Tobin." 

"  Is  your  request  quite  reasonable  ? "  said  the 
solicitor.  "  Tobin  has  years  of  experience  and  suc- 
cess behind  him." 

"  You  can  trust  me  not  to  attempt  more  than  I 
can  perform,"  said  Northcote. 

"  Really,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  genuinely 
alarmed  by  such  an  obduracy,  "  I  cannot  admit  your 
right,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  you  stand  at 
present,  to  overstep  the  bounds  that  are  so  clearly 
indicated  by  persons  of  experience." 

"  I  take  this  brief  into  court  free  of  all  restric- 
tion," was  the  young  man's  rejoinder. 

"  That  one  can  hardly  consent  to,"  said  the  solic- 
itor. "  Would  you  say  it  is  quite  legitimate  to  make 
such  a  stipulation?  We  have  our  witnesses  on  the 
line  of  insanity,  and  we  must  ask  to  have  them 
called." 

"  But  do  you  not  see,"  said  Northcote,  "  that  if 
we  call  those  witnesses  we  admit  the  theory  of  the 
prosecution,  and  cut  the  ground  from  under  our 
own  feet?  " 

"  Certainly,  certainly.  One  would  have  thought 
that  so  much  would  be  self-evident." 

"  Yet  you  sought  me  out  in  the  capacity  of  a 
fighter.  I  take  it  that  had  you  not  desired  to  fight 
you  would  have  gone  straightway  to  Harris." 

"  I  can  only  admit  the  possibilities  of  a  fight 
within  limits.  The  woman's  guilt  is  established  be- 
yond question;  our  only  concern  is  to  mitigate  its 
degree." 

"  For  my  own  part,"  said  the  advocate,  "  I  am 
67 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

not  prepared  to  accept  your  proposition.  To  my 
mind,  so  far  is  the  woman's  guilt  from  being  al- 
ready established,  that  I  am  prepared  to  give  an 
undertaking  that  it  never  will  be  established." 

The  solicitor  drummed  his  fingers  on  the  table- 
cloth. 

"  I  should  like  Tobin  to  hear  you  say  that.  I 
wish  you  had  been  at  the  police-court  when  the 
case  came  before  the  magistrate.  There  is  enough 
evidence  to  hang  an  archdeacon." 

''  Very  likely.  But  we  shall  be  getting  back  to 
those  abstract  principles  for  entertaining  which  I 
have  already  suffered  reproof." 

The  solicitor  gave  an  uneasy  eye  to  his  watch. 

"  You  force  me  to  deliver  an  ultimatum,"  said 
he,  in  an  uncompromising  tone.  "  Please  have  the 
goodness  to  give  an  undertaking  to  conduct  the  de- 
fence on  the  lines  indicated  by  Tobin,  or  return  the 
brief." 

A  wave  of  blood  surged  through  the  brain  of  the 
young  advocate.  A  dismal  sickness  overspread  his 
veins.  Tantalus  was  about  to  pluck  away  that  which 
he  had  fasted  and  prayed  for  before  he  could  take 
it  in  his  grasp. 

"  You  have  entrusted  it  to  me  already,"  he  said, 
in  a  dull,  dry  voice. 

'*  In  a  case  of  this  magnitude,"  said  the  solicitor, 
with  an  almost  brutal  precision,  "  I  reserve  to  myself 
the  right  to  alter  my  mind.  You  have  forced  me 
to  issue  an  ultimatum.  Accept  or  reject  it,  which- 
ever you  choose." 

The  solicitor  called  for  his  bill  in  a  hectoring 
manner,  and  threw  a  bank-note  on  the  waiter's 
salver. 

68 


THE    BRIEF    WITHDRAWN 

The  young  advocate,  in  the  meantime,  buttoned 
the  brief  in  the  breast-pocket  of  his  somewhat 
threadbare  black  coat. 

"  What  is  your  decision  ?  "  said  the  soHcitor,  re- 
garding the  young  man  with  an  insolent  coolness. 

"  You  can't  have  back  your  brief,"  said  North- 
cote.     "  You  gave  it  to  me." 

"  It  can  only  be  held  conditionally,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  "  and  the  conditions  are  perfectly  easy 
to  accept." 

"  The  brief  was  delivered  unconditionally  into 
my  keeping,"  said  Northcote,  in  an  arid  voice. 
"  And,"  he  added,  with  a  sudden  gleam  of  the  eyes 
as  an  overpowering  recollection  of  his  destiny  came 
back  to  him,  "  you  will  have  no  reason  to  regret 
your  act." 

Before  the  solicitor  had  framed  a  reply  the  waiter 
had  returned  with  the  receipted  bill. 

*'  Keep  the  change,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  and  call 
a  hansom." 

The  waiter  withdrew. 

"  Do  I  take  it,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  an  in- 
cisive drawl  in  his  speech  as  he  turned  to  Northcote, 
*'  that  you  have  said  no?  " 

"  I  have  said  no  in  the  first  place  to  your  restric- 
tions," said  Northcote,  looking  him  full  in  the  eyes, 
"  and  in  the  second  to  your  ultimatum." 

"  Then  with  all  possible  reluctance  I  must  ask 
you  to  have  the  goodness  to  return  the  brief." 

"  With  an  equal  reluctance  I  feel  I  must  decline 
to  do  so,"  said  Northcote,  speaking  through  tight 
lips. 

For  a  moment  the  solicitor  was  taken  aback  by 
this  pointblank  refusal. 

69 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  But  —  but  —  "  he  stammered,  "  surely  this  is 
most  unprofessional.  Such  a  thing  has  never  hap- 
pened to  me  in  all  my  twenty  years  of  practice." 

"  And  I  don't  suppose,"  rejoined  the  young  advo- 
cate, "  it  vi^ill  ever  happen  to  you  again.  But  sup- 
pose we  leave  the  plane  of  our  professionalism,  step 
down  from  our  platform,  and  approach  the  preju- 
dices of  each  other  in  a  rational  spirit." 

"  No  more  argument,  I  beseech  you,"  said  the 
solicitor  sternly ;  *'  I've  got  to  get  to  Norbiton. 
Return  the  brief,  and  we  will  say  no  more.  You 
are  not  the  man  for  this  case.  You  have  a  bee  in 
your  bonnet;  you  have  too  many  brains.  I  think 
none  the  worse  of  you,  mind;  I  respect  you;  you 
have  your  ideas ;  one  day  they  may  prove  valuable, 
but  not  in  common  law.  You  have  mistaken  your 
metier,  that  is  all.  We  will  say  you  are  above  your 
work;  at  any  rate,  with  all  deference  to  Michael 
Tobin,  I  shall  prefer  to  see  Harris  holding  briefs 
of  ours  before  a  common-sense  English  jury  and 
a  matter-of-fact  English  judge  when  it  comes  to  the 
capital  charge." 

''If  you  are  present  in  court  on  Friday,"  said 
Northcote,  "  you  will  find  that  I,  not  Harris,  will 
still  be  holding  the  brief  you  entrusted  to  my  care." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  muttered  the  solicitor  to  him- 
self, "  this  fellow  is  a  madman,  a  lunatic.  I  dare 
say  he's  been  starving  so  long  that  a  square  meal 
has  turned  his  brain.". 

Involuntarily  his  eyes  began  to  traverse  the  face 
of  the  man  who  sat  bolt  upright  with  arms  folded 
at  the  other  side  of  the  table.  It  was  excessively 
pale,  flushed  with  wine  and  conversation,  and 
strangely,   exquisitely  mobile.      It   had   a  kind   of 

70 


THE    BRIEF    WITHDRAWN 

gaunt  delicacy,  but  the  obvious  traces  of  suffering 
were  permeated  by  a  remarkable  power.  The  fea- 
tures were  irregular  yet  not  unpleasing,  the  nose 
was  straight  and  incisive,  the  eyes  deep  and  lumi- 
nous, the  mouth  large  and  full-lipped.  The  general 
expression  was  sombre,  because  it  was  so  bluntly 
dominating,  yet  it  was  rendered  memorable  by  many 
subtle  qualities.  Clearly  it  was  one  of  those  faces 
which  to  see  was  never  to  forget. 

Mr.  Whitcomb,  in  spite  of  his  desire  to  get  to 
Norbiton,  and  the  severe  tests  to  which  his  con- 
stitutional arrogance  as  an  immensely  successful 
man  of  the  world  had  been  subjected,  owed  too 
much  to  his  trained  powers  of  observation  to  lay 
them  aside  at  a  moment  so  remarkable. 

"  This  fellow  is  cut  to  a  big  pattern,"  was  his 
mental  comment.  "  That  is  a  splendid  mask  for  an 
advocate.  Upon  my  soul,  if  he  were  not  so  mad  I 
think  I  should  be  inclined  to  back  him  heavily.  Yet 
I  believe  he  is  literally  starving." 

The  solicitor  rose  abruptly  from  the  table  to  dis- 
pel his  reverie. 

"  Rather  than  you  should  feel  you  have  ground 
for  complaint,"  said  he  abruptly,  as  if  touched  by 
compassion,  "  I  shall  ask  you  to  allow  me  to  advance 
half  of  your  fee;  and  to-morrow  I  will  send  you 
some  other  sort  of  work." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  unrolled  a  note  for  ten  pounds 
and  gave  it  to  Northcote. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  kindly  return  the  brief  and 
I  will  go." 

Northcote  crumpled  up  the  note  and  thrust  it  in 
his  pocket. 

"  I  accept  half  my  fee,"  said  he,  "  not  as  a  bribe, 

71 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

but  as  a  retainer.  By  this  means  I  pledge  myself 
to  conduct  the  case  to  its  appointed  issue." 

''  Pray  do  not  let  us  misunderstand  one  another," 
said  the  solicitor,  with  a  sense  of  being  trapped. 
"  This  brief  is  withdrawn  definitely ;  I  ask  you  to 
return  it  to  me.  I  give  you  ten  pounds  as  a  sola- 
tium for  losing  your  fee." 

"  I  cannot  construe  the  situation  in  that  fashion," 
said  the  young  man  calmly. 

"  This  is  not  a  question  of  construction,"  said 
the  solicitor,  with  his  anger  beginning  to  announce 
itself ;  '*  it  is  a  question  of  hard  fact.  Your  brief 
is  withdrawn." 

'*  And  I,"  said  Northcote,  with  expansive  blunt- 
ness,  "  do  not  submit  to  its  withdrawal." 

Before  this  impasse  which  had  presented  itself  in 
a  manner  so  definite,  the  solicitor,  whose  patience 
had  been  strained  beyond  the  breaking-point,  could 
only  take  refuge  in  a  series  of  imprecations. 

*'  Fellow's  drunk,"  he  muttered.  *'  Shall  have  to 
see  him  first  thing  to-morrow.  But  it  is  most  irri- 
tating that  he  should  refuse  to  give  up  the  papers 
when  time  is  so  short.  It  looks  like  an  application 
for  a  postponement  after  all." 

The  solicitor  turned  for  the  last  time  to  the  advo- 
cate. 

"  It  is  a  quarter-past  twelve,"  he  said  brusquely, 
"  and  I  am  going  home.  And  I  would  like  to  urge 
you  to  gain  reflection  by  the  aid  of  a  few  hours' 
sleep,  because  I  shall  look  for  that  brief  to  be  deliv- 
ered at  my  offices  at  a  quarter-past  ten  to-morrow 
morning.     Good  night." 

He  held  out  his  hand ;   Northcote  ignored  it. 

"  You  appear  to  impugn  my  sobriety,"  said  the 
72 


THE    BRIEF    WITHDRAWN 

latter,  "  and  that  is  a  pity,  because  in  all  my  life 
I  have  never  felt  my  mind  to  be  quite  so  clear  as 
it  is  to-night.  Perhaps  it  it  not  fair  to  expect  you 
to  appreciate  the  point  at  which  I  have  arrived,  and 
why  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  restore  your  brief." 
He  pressed  his  hands  over  the  bundle  of  papers  in 
his  coat.    "  You  see  your  brief  is  my  destiny." 

A  final  expression  of  somewhat  forcible  disap- 
proval escaped  Mr.  Whitcomb,  and  he  moved  away 
to  the  room  in  which  he  had  deposited  his  hat  and 
coat. 

As  an  attendant  was  assisting  to  envelop  the  so- 
licitor's portliness  in  these  articles,  it  annoyed  him 
to  find  that  Northcote  had  followed  him. 

''  Why  not  spare  one  this  trouble  to  which  you 
are  putting  one?"  he  said  reproachfully.  "Why 
not  be  moderately  reasonable  about  it  ?  " 

"  Ah,  you  see,"  said  Northcote  with  a  smile,  as 
he  presented  the  ticket  for  his  own  extremely  time- 
worn  hat  and  coat,  "  even  a  thing  so  primitive  as 
'  the  moderately  reasonable '  must  submit  itself  to 
the  peculiarly  elusive  mental  plane  one  is  doomed 
to  inhabit." 

"  Peace !  peace !  "  said  the  solicitor.  "  No  more 
of  that!" 

"  Attorney  and  advocate,  judge  and  jury,"  said 
the  young  man,  as  he  rummaged  in  vain  among 
his  pockets  to  find  a  tip  for  the  attendant,  "  justice 
and  equity,  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  and  the  victim 
of  circumstance,  —  one  and  all  are  to  be  poised 
upon  the  same  arbitrary  moral  elevation,  to  submit 
to  the  mandates  of  a  tribunal  which  is  the  creation 
of  that  egregiously  warped  and  time-serving  thing 
upon  which  we  bestow  the  name  of  The  Majority." 

73 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Peace !  peace !  "  said  the  solicitor,  unable  in 
spite  of  himself  to  repress  a  laugh  at  the  amazed 
face  of  the  cloak-room  attendant,  and  moving  to 
where  his  hansom  awaited  him ;  "  give  up  those 
papers  here  and  now  like  a  good  fellow,  and  save 
me  a  great  deal  of  time  and  worry.  If  Harris 
doesn't  see  them  first  thing  to-morrow  it  means  a 
postponement,  and  we  don't  want  that.'* 

"  There  is  need  for  neither,"  said  Northcote,  but- 
toning up  his  threadbare  overcoat.  "  But,  ye  gods 
and  little  fishes!  what  is  the  name  for  the  total 
blindness,  the  pathetic  obtuseness,  which  has  eclipsed 
the  faculties  of  this  connoisseur,  this  expert?  Here 
is  one  who  has  been  angling  for  years  for  a  real 
authentic  fish  from  the  sea,  yet  when  one  plumps 
into  his  net,  being  accustomed  to  nothing  but  the 
sight  of  minnows,  he  doesn't  even  guess  at  his 
travaille." 

By  this  time  the  solicitor  had  fled  precipitately 
through  the  vestibule  of  the  restaurant,  and  stood 
in  the  portico  awaiting  his  hansom. 


U 


X 

THE   RIDE   TO    NORBITON 

As  he  was  entering  the  vehicle  Northcote  came 
to  his  side. 

"  Good  night,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb.  *'  In  the 
morning,  perhaps,  when  you  see  things  a  bit  clearer 
you  will  think  better  of  this.  In  fact  I  am  sure 
of  it ;  and  I  hope  you  will  not  forget  to  send  round 
the  brief." 

Before  he  could  close  the  door  of  the  hansom, 
the  young  man  had  joined  him  in  its  interior. 

"  I  "hope  you  don't  mind  my  coming  with  you,'* 
he  said,  entirely  at  his  ease.  "  This  matter  is  far 
too  momentous  for  all  concerned  to  be  left  in  the 
unsatisfactory  stage  at  which  it  has  now  arrived." 

"  This  fellow  is  the  devil,"  muttered  the  solicitor, 
suppressing  a  groan. 

**  Where,  sir?  "  said  the  cabman  through  the  hole 
in  the  roof. 

"  Norbiton." 

"  Norbiton !    Not  to-night,  sir ;  the  'oss  is  tired." 

"  Take  me  to  Norbiton,"  said  the  solicitor  sharply, 
"  and  never  mind  about  your  horse." 

"  Very  sorry,  guv'nor  —  " 

"  Well,  if  you  can  afford  to  lose  a  sovereign  —  " 

The  cabman's  head  disappeared  immediately,  and 
the  horse  started  on  its  journey  at  a  good  round 
pace. 

"  These  cabmen  are  the  greatest  robbers  in  Eu- 

75 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 


1 

cor-i 
ouldl 


rope/'  said  the  solicitor,  settling  himself  in  his 
ner.    *'  They  are  a  disgrace  to  London.    One  would 
like  to  see  them  taken  over  by  the  state." 

Although  Mr.  Whitcomb  was  ruffled  by  his  com- 
panion's strange  pertinacity,  his  philosophic  habit 
soon  came  to  his  aid. 

''Have  a  weed?"  he  said,  offering  his  cigar- 
case. 

By  the  time  each  had  lighted  a  cigar  and  en- 
sconced himself  in  a  measure  of  comfort  in  a  corner 
of  the  vehicle,  the  irritation  of  the  one  and  the 
aggressive  tenacity  of  the  other  had  been  somewhat 
allayed. 

"  There  are  several  points  that  still  remain  dark 
to  me,"  said  Northcote,  "  in  this  odd  affair.  Hav- 
ing come  in  a  moment  of  high  inspiration  to  the 
attic  of  the  obscure,  having  discovered  its  occupant 
to  be  of  an  uncommon  faculty,  having  entrusted 
him  with  your  business,  all  of  a  sudden,  because 
of  a  singular  revelation  of  his  talent,  you  discard 
him  and  have  recourse  to  an  abject  mediocrity." 

"  You  are  certainly  a  queer  fellow,"  said  the 
solicitor,  amused  by  this  piece  of  egotism.  "  A 
most  unconventional  fellow  —  quite  the  most  un- 
conventional fellow  I  have  ever  met." 

'*  Ah,  there  is  my  offence,"  said  the  young  man ; 
"  I  have  outraged  the  gods,  I  have  disregarded  the 
proprieties.  Yet  I  would  ask  you,  are  not  all  con- 
ventions for  the  common  vulgar  ?  Are  not  nature's 
most  authentic  specimens,  those  pioneers  in  every 
sphere  of  mundane  activity  who  add  the  little  more 
that  means  so  much,  are  not  these  to  walk  about  the 
earth  just  as  nature  fashioned  them?" 

"  I  am  pleased  to  say,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  emit- 
76 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

ting  a  soft  purr  of  contentment,  ''  I  am  a  common 
lawyer.  The  whys  and  wherefores  are  not  my 
province;    I  take  things  as  they  are." 

"That  does  not  prevent  all  your  instincts  being 
up  in  arms  when  you  encounter  the  unusual.  How 
curious  it  is  that  the  most  deadly  sin  in  the  eyes 
of  the  average  person  is  that  shameless  egotism 
which  transacts  the  real  business  of  the  world." 

*'  If  there  were  no  rules  to  which  one  had  to 
conform,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  there  would  be  no 
living  in  the  world.  Conventions  to  my  mind  are 
highly  necessary.  Of  course  every  man  has  a  per- 
fect right  to  consider  himself  a  tremendous  fellow, 
but  that  is  no  reason  why  he  should  say  as  much 
to  his  neighbor.  H  he  does,  his  neighbor  will  want 
to  refute  it." 

"  And  if  he  should  throw  down  his  gage,  and 
prove  to  his  neighbor  in  a  perfectly  logical  and 
scientific  manner  that  he  is  a  tremendous  fellow, 
his  neighbor  will  not  be  content  with  wanting  to 
refute  him;  his  neighbor  will  want  to  shoot  him, 
or  hang  him,  or  burn  him,  or  crucify  him,  and  it 
is  long  odds  that  his  neighbor  will  succeed  in  so 
doing." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  don't  follow  you." 

"  I  am  speaking  of  the  fate  that  awaited  upon 
the  majority  of  the  tremendous  fellows  whom  we 
discover  in  the  pages  of  history;  the  founders  of 
the  religions,  the  saints,  the  heroes,  the  discoverers, 
the  makers  of  the  philosophical  systems." 

'*  One  suspects,"  said  the  solicitor,  *'  it  was  be- 
cause they  made  the  world  so  uncomfortable  while 
they  were  living  in  it." 


77 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

**  I  agree.  But  what  a  world  we  should  have  if 
they  had  not." 

"  It  is  not  at  all  clear  to  my  mind,"  said  the 
solicitor,  "  that  in  the  long  run  these  fellows  of 
whom  you  are  speaking  have  not  done  more  harm 
to  the  world  than  they  have  done  good.  Not  only 
did  their  abnormal  egotisms  run  amok  during  their 
own  lives,  but  after  their  deaths,  which  as  you  sug- 
gest were  often  brutal  and  unnecessary,  they  contin- 
ued in  the  guise  of  saints  and  martyrs,  and  inspired 
teachers  to  wreak  iconoclasm  and  discomfort  upon 
mankind." 

"  One  can  readily  believe,"  said  the  young  man, 
''  that  you,  sir,  in  your  capacity  of  a  member  of  the 
comfortable  classes,  to  which  by  fortune  and  edu- 
cation you  belong,  would  fetter  the  march  of  ideas 
by  every  means  in  your  power." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  solicitor,  drawing  peacefully  at 
his  cigar;  ^*  few  things  are  more  distasteful  to  me 
personally  than  ideas.  Particularly  those  lawless 
ones  which  proceed  from  ill-regulated  and  ill-bal- 
anced natures.  It  seems  to  me  that  they  are  respon- 
sible for  nine-tenths  of  the  misery  that  is  in  the 
world." 

"  Do  I  take  it  that,  in  your  opinion,  so  far  from 
these  so-called  *  great  men '  of  whom  we  are  speak- 
ing meriting  esteem  from  their  fellows,  their  doc- 
trines as  well  as  their  persons  should  be  pursued 
with  the  fire  and  the  sword ;  and  that  means  should 
be  adopted  to  exterminate  the  growth  of  these 
*  great '  ones  from  the  comfortable  republic  which 
is  inhabited  by  the  average  person  ?  " 

"  I  would  suggest  it.  I  have  given  little  thought 
to  this  subject,  but  I  cannot  think  of  a  single  his- 

78 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

torical  personage  of  whom  I  do  not  consider  that 
in  the  long  run  mankind  would  have  gained  im- 
measurably had  he  never  been  born  into  its  midst." 

"This  is  extreme  doctrine,"  said  Northcote; 
"  and  may  I  pay  you  the  compliment,  sir,  of  saying 
that  I  find  you  to  be  one  of  a  greater  courage  than 
I  had  suspected." 

"  All  the  so-called  '  greatness '  one  finds  en- 
shrined in  history,"  the  solicitor  continued,  "  pro- 
ceeds from  an  abnormal  egotism;  and  I  think  even 
a  perfectly  commonplace  mind  such  as  my  own, 
which  is  content  with  the  obvious,  has  only  to  take 
a  most  superficial  look  around  to  see  that  the  ab- 
normal is  the  only  evil  against  which  mankind  has 
to  contend." 

*'  Necessarily,"  said  Northcote,  "  since  the  self- 
consciousness  of  matter  is  the  ugliest  phenomenon 
known  to  natural  law.  But  to  follow  the  line  of 
your  reasoning,  the  abnormal  person,  whatever  the 
sphere  of  his  activity,  is  invariably  the  enemy  of 
his  kind?" 

"  That  is  my  suggestion ;  the  suggestion  of  an 
average  mind  that  is  content  to  rest  on  the  plane 
of  matter-of-fact  common  sense." 

"  You  would  say  that  it  would  have  been  better 
for  mankind  had  the  poet  Shakespeare  never  been 
given  to  it?  " 

"  Unquestionably.  In  my  view,  all  poetry,  even 
in  what  we  are  pleased  to  call  a  sublime  and  con- 
centrated form,  is  a  direct  emanation  of  morbid 
sensibility.  It  stimulates  those  already  sufficiently 
irritable  faculties  of  the  mind  which  call  for  a 
never-ceasing  vigilance  to  hold  in  check.     Poetry 


79 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

is  the  chief  enemy  against  which  rational  common 
sense  has  to  contend." 

"  Then  in  your  view  the  greatest  enemy  of  the 
human  race  of  which  history  has  taken  cognizance 
is  Jesus  Christ?  " 

"  I  will  not  say  the  greatest ;  but  He  shares  the 
opprobrium  that  attaches  to  His  class.  It  was  that 
type  of  abnormalism  which  developed  the  religious 
sense  in  man;  and  any  sense  more  calculated  to 
provoke  infinite  misery,  any  sense  more  completely 
out  of  harmony  with  the  facts  of  existence,  one  can- 
not conceive." 

"  In  a  word,  excess  of  any  kind  is  repugnant  to 
the  average  person?" 

"  One  would  say  so ;  mainly,  I  think,  because 
it  extorts  such  heavy  toll  of  all  who  are  brought 
in  contact  with  it." 

"  Then  elevation  of  feeling,  profundity  of 
thought,  subtlety  of  insight,  austerity  of  morals, 
heroism,  beauty,  in  short,  the  superlative  in  any 
guise  whatever,  should  be  eliminated  from  the  re- 
public of  the  average  sensual  person  ?  " 

"If  the  average  sensual  person  could  contrive 
a  republic  for  himself,  that  would  be  its  first  de- 
cree." 

"  Hence  his  hostility  to  those  abnormal  egotisms 
which  are  known  as  '  greatness '  ?  " 

"  As  far  as  the  average  person  can  see,  that  ap- 
pears to  go  down  to  the  root  of  the  matter." 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  young  advocate,  "  permit 
me  to  take  a  slight  parable  out  of  my  own  experi- 
ence to  refute  this  supposition." 

"  Pray  do  so." 

The  advocate  selected  as  a  preliminary  a  second 
80 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

cig-ar  from  the  case  of  the  solicitor,  and  reset- 
tled himself  in  comfort  in  the  corner  of  the  ve- 
hicle. 

''  All  my  life,"  said  Northcote,  "  from  the  far- 
thest day  to  which  my  memory  goes  back,  I  have 
been  persecuted  with  the  consciousness  of  my  own 
importance.  In  all  my  dealings  with  others,  in  the 
daily  outlook  upon  my  surroundings,  not  only  have 
I  been  unable  to  detach  myself  from  my  own  pri- 
vate entity,  but  I  have  also  been  obsessed  with  the 
knowledge  that  that  entity  was  so  much  more  pow- 
erful than  any  with  which  it  happened  to  come  in 
contact.  As  you  will  believe,  a  feeling  of  that  kind 
spelt  serious  inconvenience  to  its  possessor.  At  my 
private  school  I  was  the  recipient  of  many  cuffs 
in  my  capacity  of  a  shy,  nervous,  and  intensely  self- 
centred  child  who  detested  games.  It  grew  to  be 
a  special  function  of  my  youthful  companions,  and 
also  that  of  every  self-respecting  master,  to  ^  knock 
the  nonsense  out  of  Northcote.'  However,  so  far 
from  knocking  it  out,  these  disinterested  efforts 
appeared  to  knock  it  farther  in.  And  when  in  the 
fulness  of  time  I  ascended  to  the  ampler  region  of 
a  public  school,  my  sufferings  were  materially  in- 
creased. I  was  shunned,  I  was  tormented,  an  op- 
probrious name  was  fastened  upon  me ;  and  had  not 
the  fire  which  burned  so  intensely  at  the  centre  of 
myself  kept  me  warm  in  spirit,  life  would  have 
become  intolerable. 

"  It  was  a  consciousness  of  personal  power  haunt- 
ing me  day  and  night  which  caused  me  to  scorn 
the  gods  of  the  little  world  in  which  I  found  myself, 
and  to  disregard  the  petty  conventions  which  mean 
so  much  in  every  phase  of  human  life.     Accord- 

8i 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ingly  I  was  marked  out  as  an  object  of  hatred  and 
ridicule.  However,  as  years  went  on,  and  I  came 
to  be  endowed  with  the  somewhat  unusual  physical 
frame  which  you  may  have  observed  I  possess,  I 
determined  in  a  somewhat  cynical  spirit  of  revenge 
to  devote  myself  to  one  of  those  stupid  and  un- 
meaning exercises,  my  contempt  for  which  was  one 
of  the  most  potent  causes  of  my  unpopularity. 
Never  before  had  I  condescended  to  approach  one 
of  the  usual  school  *  games,'  other  than  in  a  spirit 
of  levity;  but  when  I  awoke  to  the  discovery  that 
nature  had  somewhat  ironically  endowed  me  with 
a  power  of  muscle,  a  suppleness  of  limb,  and  a  bulk 
of  inches  which  would  in  themselves  make  me  the 
envy  of  every  athlete  in  the  school,  I  determined  to 
turn  them  to  account.  It  was  in  no  spirit  of  open 
competition  with  those  whom  I  despised  that  I 
resolved  to  become  the  most  accomplished  football 
player  who  had  ever  appeared  in  the  school.  It  was 
my  somewhat  curious  method  of  avenging  all  the 
insults,  all  the  barbarous  forms  of  injustice,  that 
had  been  wreaked  upon  me.  I  might  have  requited 
my  assailants  in  other  ways,  but  I  was  too  proud 
to  employ  the  methods  of  those  whom  I  felt  to  be 
my  mental,  physical,  and  moral  inferiors.  There- 
fore I  gave  myself  up  to  this  mechanical  exercise, 
and  an  abnormal  concentration  of  will-power  which 
I  have  always  possessed,  in  conjunction  with  re- 
markable physical  gifts,  had  the  result  for  which 
I  had  prayed. 

"  When  this  new  prowess  was  first  bruited 
abroad  it  was  received  with  derision.  But  in  spite 
of  an  organized  public  opinion  which  in  every  walk 
pf  life  assails  the  unconventional,  this  ability  be- 

82 


i 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

came  a  source  of  distress  to  the  expert.  *  It  comes 
to  this,'  said  the  captain  of  the  School  Fifteen,  after 
a  House  cup-tie  in  which  dismay  had  been  carried 
into  the  camp  of  the  opposition,  *  if  this  sort  of 
thing  goes  on,  we  shall  have  to  think  about  playing 
"  Cad  "  Northcote  for  the  School/  The  shouts  of 
derision  with  which  this  prophecy  was  received  are 
still  in  my  ears.  However  '  this  sort  of  thing ' 
continued  to  go  on,  and  sure  enough,  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  men  and  gods,  the  day  dawned  on  which 
*  Cad '  Northcote  did  play  for  the  School.  He 
dominated  the  scene  of  action  in  every  game  in 
which  he  took  part;  but  such  was  the  strength  of 
public  opinion  that  the  ruling  powers  withheld  his 
'  cap  '  until  the  very  last  moment,  the  eve  of  the 
chief  game  of  the  year.  It  was  the  match  against 
our  great  school  rivals,  a  neighboring  seminary, 
of  which,  sir,  I  discern  by  certain  unfortunate 
tricks  of  manner  that  you  are  an  alumnus." 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  said  the  solicitor ; 
'*  get  on  with  your  story.  It  is  enormously  inter- 
esting. Did  you  play  against  us  in  the  great 
match  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  played  against  you  in  the  great  match. 
The  *  f ez '  of  the  School  Fifteen,  which  should 
have  been  mine  weeks  before,  was  duly  presented 
to  me  on  the  eve  of  *  Waterloo,'  for  although  it 
was  a  dreadful  crime  to  be  *  unpopular,'  it  was  yet 
highly  necessary  to  '  take  on '  the  French.  And  I 
recall  now  with  some  amusement  the  manner  in 
which  I  contrived  to  flout  the  amour  pro  pre  of  the 
venerable  institution  into  whose  service  I  was 
pressed.  Instead  of  turning  out  in  the  garish  col- 
ors with  which  I  had  been  honored  at  the  eleventh 

83 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

hour,  I  appeared  upon  the  scene  in  a  costume  of 
the  most  immaculate  whiteness.  As  soon  as  the 
captain  beheld  this  apparition  on  the  field  of  play, 
he  came  to  me  and  said  insolently :  '  Northcote, 
what  do  you  mean  by  getting  yourself  up  like  this? 
Go  back  at  once  and  put  on  the  School  colors.'  I 
rejoined :  '  I  play  for  the  School  in  my  own  colors 
on  my  own  terms.  I  would  like  you  to  understand 
that  if  I  am  with  you,  I  am  not  of  you.'  There 
was  a  hurried  consultation  among  my  fourteen  fel- 
low players,  and  although  their  sense  of  outrage 
was  enormous,  that  was  neither  the  time  nor  the 
place  to  indulge  it. 

"  The  French  were  *  taken  on  '  as  they  had  never 
been  '  taken  on  '  before.  But  the  debacle  was  the 
work  of  one  man.  Such  a  game  as  was  played  on 
that  occasion  by  Cad  Northcote  was  never  seen 
before  or  afterwards.  According  to  tradition, 
which  to  this  day  invests  his  pious  memory,  he 
spent  half  his  time  in  crossing  the  line  of  his  ad- 
versaries, and  the  other  half  in  standing  the  op- 
posing three-quarters  on  their  heads.  He  felt 
himself  to  be  equipped  for  the  part  of  the  man 
of  destiny.  I  believe  the  rout  of  our  hereditary 
rivals  on  that  occasion  came  near  to  approaching 
three  figures." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  exclaimed  the  solic- 
itor, "  that  you  are  the  great  Northcote,  the  fellow 
who  led  the  English  pack  while  he  was  still  at 
school?" 

"  No  less." 

"  Why,  then  I  saw  you  play  at  the  Rectory 
Field  sometime  in  the  'nineties.  I  remember  you 
had  those  damned  Welshmen  over  the  line  three 

84 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

times  in  the  first  five  minutes.  You  pushed  them 
all  over  the  place." 

"  Yes,  we  pushed  them  all  over  the  place.  You 
saw  me  at  the  summit  of  my  fame.  And  I  am 
now  coming  to  the  point  of  my  parable.  From 
those  days  of  my  inordinate  success,  which  con- 
ferred not  only  lustre  upon  myself,  but  upon  my 
school  and  all  who  were  associated  with  me,  I 
became  not  only  a  hero,  but  a  figure  of  legend. 
The  opprobrious  title  '  Cad '  Northcote  was 
dropped  as  completely  as  though  it  had  never  been. 
My  lightest  opinion  was  treasured,  and  heaven  only 
can  tell  us  how  many  they  were  on  every  point 
under  the  sun.  I  became  a  dictator  where  for- 
merly I  had  suflFered  infinite  misery  and  persecution. 
By  a  display  of  personal  force  criticism  was  laid 
low;  yet,  sir,  according  to  this  theory  of  yours, 
it  must  have  been  inimical  to  all  who  came  within 
its  sphere  of  influence." 

**  I  would  say  so  certainly ;  demoralizing  alike 
to  its  possessor,  and  to  those  who  despised  it  in 
its  growth  and  abased  themselves  before  it  in  its 
flower." 

"Yet  was  it  not  with  bated  breath  that  you 
inquired  whether  I  was  the  '  great '  North- 
cote?" 

"  Pray  do  not  overlook  the  fact,  my  dear  fellow, 
that  however  much  the  average  sensual  mind  may 
deplore  the  false  gods  before  which  it  kneels,  it 
has  not  the  power  to  deliver  itself  from  their  thrall. 
This  passion  to  *  excel '  is  a  flaw  inherent  in  the 
race." 

"  It  is  at  least  pleasant  to  discover,"  said  North- 
cote,   "that  the  average  sensual  mind  is  unable 

85 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

to  banish  the  sentiment  of  admiration  from  its 
republic." 

'*  If  it  could,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  there  would 
be  an  end  of  these  abnormal  egotisms  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking." 

"  I  do  not  agree,"  said  Northcote.  "  It  is  not 
a  thirst  for  admiration  from  which  they  spring, 
but  a  thirst  for  power.  And  it  is  an  uncomfort- 
able reflection  for  those  who  belong  to  your  re- 
public that  the  world  has  been  so  arranged  that 
mere  power  will  always  have  its  devotees.  How 
lamentably  your  own  practice  breaks  down  before 
your  theory.  You  have  reverence  for  me  as  a 
player  of  football,  and  Tobin's  powers  as  an  ad- 
vocate fill  you  with  enthusiasm." 

"True;  and  it  is  men  like  Tobin  and  yourself 
who  forbid  any  reconciliation  between  theory  and 
practice.  A  phenomenon  is  always  inimical  to  the 
society  in  which  it  appears.  It  may  stand  forth 
as  memorable  and  fascinating  as  you  please,  but 
it  does  so  at  the  expense  of  balance,  law,  and 
reason.  Your  presence  in  the  football  match 
ruined  the  game  as  a  game,  just  as  I  have  ob- 
served that  the  presence  of  Tobin  in  a  case  has 
been  disastrous  to  the  cause  of  justice." 

"  Nevertheless,  you  invoke  the  aid  of  Tobin  on 
every  possible  occasion." 

"I  do." 

"  Upon  what  pretext,  may  I  ask,  since  you  de- 
plore his  gifts  so  deeply?" 

"  The  answer  is  simple.  To  whatever  extent 
I  may  deplore  the  condition  of  things  into, which, 
through  no  fault  of  my  own,  I  have  been  pro- 
jected, beyond  everything  I  am  of  a  comfortable 

86 


1 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

and  conforming  disposition.  Therefore  I  make  my 
subscription  to  the  things  that  are.  I  have  none 
of  the  reformer's  zeal;  and  it  is  one  of  the  things 
for  which  I  am  thankful." 

At  this  stage  of  the  conversation  the  voice  of 
the  cabman  was  heard  from  the  roof. 

"  We're  in  Norbiton,  sir.     Which  house  ?  " 

"  Straight  on  to  the  end  of  the  road,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb;  "then  first  to  the  right,  second  to  the 
left,  and  it  is  the  first  house  you  come  to  at  the 
corner  of  Avenue  Road." 

"  How  quickly  we've  come,"  said  Northcote. 
'*  One  would  not  have  thought  it  possible  to  cover 
the  distance  in  this  time;  with  a  tired  horse, 
too." 

"  The  sound  of  your  own  voice  may  have  been 
as  agreeable  to  you,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  as  it  has 
been  to  me.  I  confess  it  has  passed  the  time  very 
well." 

Northcote  deduced  from  the  more  indulgent  air 
of  his  companion  that  this  imperious  personality 
of  his,  of  whose  possession  he  was  so  conscious 
and  upon  which  he  built  so  much,  had  not  been 
without  an  effect.  He  was  thinking  of  the  victory 
that  he  felt  sure  would  crown  his  tenacity,  when 
the  hansom  drew  up  at  the  gate  of  a  very  comfort- 
able-looking suburban  residence.  It  was  girt  with 
a  high  stone  wall,  and  stood  in  a  pleasant  plot  of 
ground  amid  tall  trees. 

As  they  got  out  of  the  hansom,  the  solicitor, 
after  searching  his  pockets  in  leisurely  fashion, 
collected  four  shillings  and  a  sixpence  and  handed 
them  up  to  the  cabman  on  his  perch. 

"  Wot's   this   'ere?"     said   the   cabman   gruffly. 

87 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  This  ain't  no  use  ter  me,  guv'nor.    Yer  promised 
me  a  quid." 

''  In  one's  dealings  with  the  criminal  classes,"  said 
the  solicitor,  "  one  finds  that  the  only  method  of 
self -protection  is  the  use  of  their  own  weapons." 

'*  Yer  promised  me  a  quid,  guv'nor,"  said  the 
cabman,  who  was  too  excited  to  follow  the  course 
of  this  reasoning. 

"  May  I  say,"  rejoined  the  solicitor,  with  great 
suavity,  ''  that  a  promise  is  considered  to  be  a 
thing  of  no  particular  value  among  the  members 
of  the  criminal  classes." 

"  Criminal  classes !  Wot !  "  cried  the  cabman, 
in  a  gust  of  fury.  "  Breaks  yer  promises  and 
calls  yerself  a  toff!  Not  a-going  to  part  with  that 
quid.     Well,  guv'nor,  we'll  just  see  abaht  it." 

Emitting  a  string  of  foul  expressions,  the  cab- 
man hopped  down  from  his  perch. 

'*  Call  yerself  a  toff?  Give  me  that  quid  or  I'll 
knock  out  yer eye." 

''  Try,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  a  coolness  that 
his  companion   felt   to  be   inimitable. 

Inflamed  a  little  by  drink  as  well  as  by  a  sense 
of  injury,  the  cabman  prepared  to  exact  a  sum- 
mary vengeance.  Breathing  slaughter  he  came  at 
Mr.  Whitcomb  with  his  fists  in  the  air;  and  that 
gentleman,  stepping  aside  coolly  and  nimbly,  hit 
him'  with  a  hand  ungloved  for  the  purpose 
a  heavy  blow  in  the  face.  The  cabman  dropped 
like  a  log  in  the  slush  of  the  gutter. 

"  A  broken  nose,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  turning 
to  his  companion,  while  they  stood  watching  the 
unfortunate  cabman  gather  himself  slowly  and 
painfully  together. 

88 


THE    RIDE    TO    NORBITON 

"  I  feel  for  you,  cabby,"  said  the  solicitor,  to 
his  rueful  assailant,  "  but  I  can  assure  you  this 
is  wholly  in  the  public  interest.  Thieves  and  bul- 
lies, as  well  as  fools,  have  to  be  taught  by  ex- 
perience." 

"Why  the  'ell  didn't  yer  sye  so?"  whimpered 
the  cabman,  as  he  strove  in  vain  to  stanch  the 
blood  that  poured  from  his  nose.  "  'Ow  the  'ell 
should  I  know  yer  could  use  'em?  I  piked  yer 
fer  a  toff  in  yer  'igh  'at  and  yer  fur  coat  and  yer 
glass  eye;  'ow  the  'ell  should  I  know  yer  could 
use  'em  ?  " 

"  That  is  for  you  banditti  to  discover,"  was  the 
rejoinder  of  his  fare.  "  It  is  perhaps  my  chief 
recreation  to  thrash  hansom  cabmen  in  the  in- 
terests of  society.  I  am  proud  to  say  your  case  is 
one  of  many." 

"  Blow  me  tight,  a  prize-fighter !  " 

"  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  I  might  have  aspired 
to  that  calling,  if  the  somewhat  material  nature 
of  my  ambitions  had  not  summoned  me  to  a  more 
lucrative  if  less  honorable  practice.  Twenty  years 
ago  I  was  considered  rather  useful  with  the 
gloves." 

"  Not  so  rusty  nah,  guv'nor,"  said  the  cabman, 
imperfectly  mollified,  and  stanching  his  nose  with 
his  sleeve.  "  Give  us  a  extra  bob  an'  I'll  drive  to 
the  'orspital." 

"  Here  is  your  sovereign,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb. 
"  Training  and  education  make  one  so  punctilious 
in  regard  to  one's  word,  although  common  sense 
assures  one  that  like  the  majority  of  your  class 
you  are  a  rogue,  a  liar,  and  a  bully;  in  a  word, 
a  common  pirate.     Here  is  your  money;   and  have 

89 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

the  goodness  to  take  yourself  off  as  reticently  as 
you  can." 

There  was  not  a  more  astonished  Jehu  amid 
the  ranks  of  his  London  brethren  than  this  un- 
fortunate specimen,  as  he  climbed  into  the  seat  he 
had  left  so  injudiciously.  Bestowing  a  succession 
of  brutal  strokes  of  the  whip  upon  his  even  more 
unfortunate  horse,  he  was  lost  immediately  in  the 
sleet  and  darkness  of  the  morning,  leaving  North- 
cote,  who  was  only  slightly  less  astonished  than 
his  bleeding  and  blasphemous  self,  standing  at  the 
side  of  the  solicitor  against  the  gate  of  the  latter' s 
residence. 


90 


XI 

MR.    WHITCOMB's    foibles 

"  In  moments  of  relaxation  from  my  studies/' 
said'  Northcote,  taking  his  companion  by  the  arm, 
"  I  like  to  look  upon  myself  as  something  of  an 
amateur  of  the  human  mind.  I  find  a  great  fascina- 
tion in  the  endless  nuances  of  the  human  character. 
Permit  me  to  say  that  I  have  never  come  across  a 
more  promising  subject  than  is  offered  by  your  own 
personal  complexity.  Why  in  the  name  of  the  mar- 
vellous did  you  batter  that  poor  devil  if  you  had  no 
intention  of  cozening  him  out  of  his  money  ?  " 

"  He  suffered  for  one  of  my  foibles.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  a  society  of  banded  robbers  is  at  work 
to  blackmail,  bully,  and  despoil  the  peaceable  citi- 
zens of  London.  The  law  is  powerless  to  touch 
them,  their  operations  are  so  cunning  and  are 
ordered  on  so  mean  a  scale.  Therefore  it  would 
seem  to  behove  every  stalwart  private  individual  to 
make  war  upon  them  openly;  and  I  am  proud  to 
affirm  that  a  good  measure  of  success  has  attended 
my  own  puny  efforts.  It  is  quite  possible  that  in 
the  course  of  these  labors  I  may  happen  upon  a  re- 
tired champion  who  chooses  to  eke  out  a  well- 
deserved  leisure  in  a  manner  so  unsavory,  but  in 
the  meantime  I  deal  out  a  dozen  broken  noses  a 
year  to  this  banditti." 

"  You  are  an  enigma,  indeed,"  said  the  young 
man.    "  You  professed  just  now  to  accept  the  things 

91 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

that  are,  that  your  last  intention  is  to  effect  any  sort 
of  social  reform;  yet  look  what  you  do.  Again, 
you  profess  to  be  a  connoisseur  in  men  of  promise, 
yet  with  your  eyes  open  you  reject  the  most  au- 
thentic specimen  that  has  ever  swum  into  your  ken. 
Further,  you  deride  every  form  of  '  greatness,' 
and  despise  every  manifestation  of  the  force  that  it 
is  your  daily  business  to  employ." 

"  I  am  an  enigma,  right  enough,"  said  the  solic- 
itor; "yet,  for  that  matter,  so  are  we  all.  Who 
shall  explain  himself?  Who  shall  attempt  it?  I 
preach  one  thing  in  all  sincerity,  yet  with  an  equal 
sincerity  I  practise  another.  Nature  designed  the 
lymphatic  Samuel  Whitcomb  to  be  the  most  con- 
sistent man  alive,  yet  see,  my  friend,  how  malleable 
he  is,  how  mobile,  how  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
caprices  that  whirl  about  in  himself.  It  gives  me 
an  indescribable  pleasure  to  thrash  hansom  cabmen ; 
my  being  craves  for  that  form  of  relaxation;  it  is 
its  conception  of  true  physical  and  intellectual  en- 
joyment." 

"  Did  I  not  understand  you  to  say,"  asked  the 
astonished  young  man,  "  that  these  Promethean 
labors  were  undertaken  in  the  service  of  society?" 

"  Do  not  believe  me,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  his 
rich  laugh  floating  melodiously  into  the  chill  night 
air.  "  I  would  deceive  others  with  that  pleasant 
figment,  but  I  do  not  impose  on  myself.  It  is  a 
sheer  animal  impulse,  which  I  am  powerless  to 
withstand,  that  causes  me  to  break  the  noses  of  this 
banditti." 

'*  Well,  sir,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  will  wish  you 
good  night.  It  has  been  a  real  pleasure  to  have  met 
you.    The  enchanting  complexity  of  your  personal 

92 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    FOIBLES 

character  will  beguile  me  during  my  long  walk 
home.  As  for  the  brief  that  I  hold,  unless  a  whim 
should  cause  you  to  obtain  a  postponement  of  the 
trial,  you  will  find  it  in  my  custody  at  the  Old 
Bailey  on  Friday  morning/' 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  friend,''  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
as  Northcote  turned  on  his  heel.  "  You  had  better 
come  in  and  have  a  drink  before  you  start.  It  will 
be  a  dreadfully  cold  and  wearisome  tramp  back  to 
town  through  this  slush  in  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning." 

"  My  own  foible  is  to  walk  the  streets  at  night," 
said  Northcote.  "  That  is  the  only  taste  of  real 
freedom  one  enjoys  in  a  city.  It  is  only  during 
the  middle  of  the  night  in  a  place  like  London  that 
one  can  think  one's  own  thoughts  and  breathe 
God's  air.  But  as  we  do  not  appear  quite  to  have 
settled  this  momentous  business  of  the  brief,  which 
may  mean  so  much  more  to  society  at  large  than 
you  can  imagine,  I  will  enter  your  domain  and 
drink  one  glass  of  your  whiskey." 

The  solicitor  led  the  way  thereto,  unlocked  the 
front  door  with  a  latch-key,  and  Northcote  found 
himself  in  the  interior  of  a  modern  dwelling-house. 
It  was  furnished  with  perfect  taste,  fitted  with  every 
luxury.  The  heavy  mats  on  the  floors  muffled  the 
sounds  of  his  feet ;  the  warmed  air  that  assailed  his 
nostrils  was  seductive  and  delicate  after  the  bitter 
inclemency  from  which  he  had  taken  refuge.  Nu- 
merous objects  of  vertu  were  scattered  in  every 
nook,  and  the  walls  were  lined  with  pictures  that 
astonished  him  beyond  measure. 

"  Why,  that  is  a  Whistler  —  one  of  the  two  or 


93 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

three!  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  passed  in  the  hall  an 
unpretentious-looking  portrait. 

''  I  got  it  years  ago  for  a  song,  before  they  began 
to  be  bought,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb  modestly. 

"  And  what  is  that  stuck  over  the  stairs  ?  From 
this  distance  it  looks  suspiciously  like  a  Velasquez. 
But  surely  that  is  in  the  Prado  ?  " 

"  Aren't  you  confounding  it  with  the  companion 
picture?  " 

"  I  had  no  idea  we  had  this  in  England." 

"  We  have  many  things  in  England  which  for- 
tunately are  not  matters  of  common  knowledge. 
Every  year  they  are  becoming  rarer,  owing  to  that 
scourge  of  nations,  the  press.  If  you  value  my  re- 
gard, you  will  forget  that  you  have  noticed  it." 

"  Did  you  get  that  also  before  they  began  to  be 
bought?" 

"  There  is  rather  a  strange  story  attaching  to 
that  picture." 

"  Ah !  "  exclaimed  Northcote,  with  an  anticipa- 
tory eagerness ;  '*  that  is  where  pictures  are  so 
unlike  women  —  they  are  worthless  if  they  have  no 
history." 

**  Possess  your  soul  in  patience,  my  friend,"  said 
the  solicitor,  with  his  rich  chuckle ;  "  the  history  of 
the  lady  in  the  blue  dress  is  not  going  to  be  told." 

"  I  must  get  a  bit  nearer,"  said  the  young  man, 
with  shining  eyes.  "  Eh,  she's  authentic !  You 
should  be  a  proud  man  to  keep  that  little  lady  under 
your  own  roof." 

"  As  proud,"  said  the  solicitor,  in  his  unctuous 
voice,  "  as  any  other  Goth  of  a  householder  in  his 
snug  suburban  residence.  Conceive  the  feelings  of 
the  Huns  when  they  overran  Rome." 

94 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    FOIBLES 

"  Or  the  mob,"  said  the  young  man,  "  when  they 
sacked  the  Tuileries." 

"  Is  she  not  precious,  the  Httle  girl  in  the  blue 
frock?" 

At  the  sound  of  soft  accents,  Northcote,  a 
little  startled,  swung  round  to  confront  a  lady. 
She  had  come  upon  him  noiselessly,  and  was  stand- 
ing at  his  side. 

"  Hullo,  Angel !  "  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  bestowing 
a  kiss  upon  her ;  "  this  is  late  for  you.  Allow  me 
to  present  Mr.  Northcote,  England's  future  Lord 
Chancellor." 

Northcote  found  himself  to  be  holding  the  hand 
of  a  singularly  beautiful  woman.  All  that  art  can 
devise  to  enhance  the  sure,  strong,  and  original 
groundwork  of  nature  was  displayed  about  her, 
chastely  yet  abundantly.  Diamonds  were  strewn 
in  the  flounces  of  her  gown;  three  tight  bands  of 
pearls  clasped  her  throat;  her  shoulders  gleamed; 
her  hair  had  the  evanescent  hues  of  the  fleeciest  silk 
—  each  tress  was  the  fruit  of  cunning  and  labor. 
Yet  through  every  curve  of  her  gorgeous  fairness 
there  peeped  forth  an  almost  quaint  simplicity. 
Her  eyes  were  bright;  her  features,  each  of  which 
seemed  to  add  a  personal  brilliancy  to  her  expres- 
sion, had  a  lustre  at  once  na'ive  and  opulent,  as  be- 
comes one  who  accepts  greedily  all  the  thousand 
and  one  glittering  and  delightful  minutiae  that 
money  adds  to  life;  who  has  both  hands  out- 
stretched to  receive  them;  who  carries  them  joy- 
ously, like  a  child,  to  her  bosom;  who  presses  them 
to  her  lips. 

"  His  name  is  Northcote,"  said  the  solicitor,  pat- 
ting her  white  arm.   "  From  the  window  of  his 

95 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

garret  in  Fleet  Street  he  surveys  the  universe  with 
the  haughtiest  eyes  imaginable." 

"  How  clever  of  him,"  said  the  lady,  in  a  little 
melodious  accent. 

"  Those  eyes  of  his  know  everything,"  said  the 
solicitor.  "  Before  them  human  nature  unveils  the 
whole  of  its  mysteries.  They  range  over  the  stars 
in  their  courses,  and  he  himself  is  familiar  with 
spirits.  They  have  already  promised  to  enable  him 
to  conquer  the  world." 

"  He  must  be  what  they  call  a  favorite  of  for- 
tune," said  the  lady,  with  engaging  laughter.  ''  He 
must  be  clever." 

"  Yes ;  he  confesses  it." 

"  He  is  young,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  tender  little 
sigh. 

She  half-turned  to  meet  the  eyes  of  the  young 
man,  and  looked  straight  into  their  sombre  depths. 
Her  own  had  a  steadiness  that  was  not  at  all  im- 
perious —  they  were  not  even  faintly  insolent ;  the 
candor  of  their  inquiry  was  not  so  much  as  tinged 
with  encounter.  An  infant  staring  with  its  ruthless 
curiosity  into  the  human  soul  could  have  hardly 
dealt  less  in  implication.  Yet  the  act  itself  seemed 
to  acquire  for  the  young  man  the  nature  of  a  feat 
so  meaningless,  yet  so  charged  with  meaning  did  it 
appear.  Only  the  support  of  a  confident  personal 
beauty  rendered  it  possible;  yet  it  was  nothing  at 
all,  not  even  a  comment,  nor  the  formation  of  an 
opinion,  hardly  the  faint  awakening  of  an  interest; 
all  the  same  the  blood  had  invaded  Northcote's  ears. 

"  You  mustn't  look  at  him  so  long,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  laughing.     "  You  are  making  him  shy." 

"  Pray  look  at  me  as  long  as  you  please,"  said 
96 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    FOIBLES 

Northcote,  who  had  recovered  already  his  self- 
possession.  **  And  if  you  do  really  succeed  in  mak- 
ing me  shy,  it  may  be  shown  to  you  one  day  as  not 
the  least  of  your  works." 

Her  laughter  rang  out  pure  and  clear  like  the 
tinkling  of  steel. 

"  Yes,  he  is  clever,"  she  said,  "  although  he  is  so 
young.  I  am  so  pleased.  I  am  sure  to  like  you,  Mr. 
Northcote;  I  like  all  men  who  are  clever." 

"  Is  it  that  you  have  so  little  to  fear?  " 

Northcote  was  now  returning  her  frank  look  of 
inquiry  with  a  gaze  of  equal  candor. 

*'  Yes,  there  is  truth  in  that,"  she  said  sagely. 

'*  Are  not  the  powerful  among  us  the  most  vul- 
nerable to  your  sex?"  said  Northcote  gently. 

''  Yes,  that  is  true  also,"  she  exclaimed,  in  a  sort 
of  glee.  "  Why  has  it  not  occurred  to  one  be- 
fore?" 

"  If  you  speak  much  with  this  gentleman,"  said 
Mr.  Whitcomb,  "  he  will  tell  you  a  large  number  of 
things  that  you  will  be  surprised  to  think  have  not 
occurred  to  you  before." 

"  He  looks  like  that,"  said  the  lady,  betraying  a 
dimple.  "  I  hope  you  don't  mind  my  looking  so 
much  at  your  face,  Mr.  Northcote.  It  is  one  of 
those  fascinating  faces  that  seem  to  give  a  new 
meaning  to  old  ideas." 

"  Yes,  you  are  very  well  matched,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb  cheerfully ;  "  and  doubtless  you  will  find 
a  great  deal  to  say  to  one  another.  But  it  will  not 
be  to-night,  madam.  Are  you  aware  it  is  a  quarter 
to  two?  Now  suppose  you  play  us  a  bit  of  a  tune 
while  we  take  a  much-needed  drink,  and  then  I 
shall  send  you  to  bed." 

97 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

The  lady  led  the  way  to  a  drawing-room.  Lux- 
ury and  taste  appeared  there  to  have  been  carried  to 
their  highest  point.  Northcote,  whose  delicately 
poised  sensibilities  vibrated  to  the  simplest  of  exter- 
nal things,  was  fain  to  believe  that  paradise  itself 
could  not  have  shaped  a  bolder  contrast  to  that 
bleak  squalor  which  he  had  been  doomed  to  inhabit 
year  after  year.  Somewhere  apart  in  the  sanctuary 
of  the  spirit,  the  home  of  so  many  complex  and 
marvellous  things,  were  chords  responsive  to  the 
challenge  of  the  beautiful.  They  could  thrill  be- 
fore the  manifestation  of  its  power,  even  in  that 
which  was  exterior,  material,  unmeaning.  These 
cushioned  enchantments,  this  bright  bower,  with  so 
exquisite  an  occupant  casting  slim  jewelled  fingers 
across  a  wonderful  instrument,  sent  a  shock  of  in- 
toxication into  his  blood.  At  the  same  instant  he 
was  conscious  of  a  stab  of  shame.  It  was  the  flesh, 
the  draperies,  the  trappings  to  which  his  pulses 
responded ;  it  was  not  the  magical  secret  which  was 
contained  in  the  miniatures  upon  the  walls,  in  the 
passionate  delicacy  of  the  cadences  which  sobbed 
themselves  out.liquidly  under  the  siren's  touch  of 
this  beautiful  woman. 

He  stood  in  front  of  the  cosy  fire,  glass  in  hand. 
A  soft  warmth  overspread  his  being.  His  eyes 
glanced  from  the  white  shoulders  of  the  enchantress 
to  the  thousand  and  one  hues  which  were  blended  so 
cunningly  in  the  carpets  and  tapestries.  The  subtle 
playings  of  light  and  shadow,  the  mellow  effects 
of  the  atmosphere,  the  softness  of  the  music,  began 
to  assail  his  senses  with  indescribable  pangs.  He 
feasted  his   eyes,   his  ears,   his  nostrils;   they  re- 

98 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    FOIBLES 

warded  him  with  gladness.     His  heart  beat  vio- 
lently. 

"  These  rare  kinds  of  genius,  are  they  not  bar- 
barous ?  "  he  said,  when  the  siren  had  ceased  to 
cast  her  fingers. 

"  It  is  like  children  lisping,"  she  said,  half-turn- 
ing her  head,  with  a  smile  that  curved  her  mouth 
entrancingly. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  young  man,  "  poetry,  romance, 
imagination  are  primitive ;  they  belong  to  the  child- 
hood of  nations,  to  the  dawn  of  new  worlds.  What 
a  divine  inspiration  these  sweet-voiced  children  of 
nature  who  are  bought  out  of  due  time,  these  un- 
happy Poles,  Germans,  and  Frenchmen  bring  to 
their  despair.  Instead  of  sitting  down  in  black 
coats  to  make  their  music  into  beef  and  mutton, 
they  should  be  tripping  through  the  glades  piping 
to  the  birds,  the  trees,  the  bright  air." 

"  This  is  a  mad  fellow,  my  angel,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb  indulgently,  "  but  if  you  are  gentle  with 
him  you  may  find  him  amusing." 

*'  Mr.  Northcote  will  amuse  me  enormously," 
said  the  lady,  with  a  demure  glance. 

"  Is  it  thus  you  rebuke  his  madness  ?  "  the  young 
man  asked. 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  don't  think  I  have  ever  seen 
a  sanity  that  is  quite  so  perfect." 

"  Drop  it,"  said  the  solicitor,  roguishly  pinching 
her  ear.  "  Beware  of  dangerous  turnings,  my  son. 
She  is  quite  prepared  to  play  George  Sand  to  any- 
body's Alfred  de  Musset.  She  even  does  it  to  the 
greengrocer  when  he  comes  round  with  his  bar- 
row. I  understand  they  discourse  divinely  together 
upon  the  subject  of  cabbages." 

99 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  But  Witty  is  too  much  the  man  of  the  world  to 
be  jealous  about  it,"  she  purred. 

"  If  Pussy  hasn't  the  opportunity  to  sharpen  her 
claws  on  a  sofa  or  an  ottoman,  she  doesn't  mind  a 
wicker-work  chair." 

"  Witty,  darling,"  said  the  lady,  "  I  hate  to  find 
rudeness  keeping  company  with  real  distinction  of 
mind." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  expostulated  Northcote,  seek- 
ing to  measure  her  depth,  "  I  consider  that  rebuke 
to  be  much  prettier  than  the  one  bestowed  upon 
me. 

"  When,  Mr.  Northcote,  did  I  rebuke  you?  " 

"  Did  you  not  say  I  should  amuse  you  enor- 
mously?" 

"  Is  not  that  the  only  compliment  a  woman  has 
the  power  to  pay  nowadays  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Noodle,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  laughing ; 
"  but  don't  you  see  how  young  he  is,  and  therefore 
how  serious  ?  Who  would  call  *  enormously  amus- 
ing' a  fitting  compliment  for  one  of  the  seven 
champions  of  Christendom?  This  is  a  devil  of  a 
fellow." 

"  I  can  roar  you  like  any  sucking  dove,"  said  the 
young  man. 

"How  it  would  thrill  one  to  hear  you  do  it!" 
said  the  lady,  enfolding  him  with  large  eyes. 

"  He  is  a  man  of  destiny,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb ; 
"  he  carries  a  genie  in  his  pocket." 

"  Oh  1 "  said  the  lady,  with  clasped  hands. 

"  One  of  these  fine  mornings  he  will  stand  the 
world  on  its  head." 

"  O-o-o-o-h !  "  said  the  lady. 

"  And  having  done  that,"  said  Northcote,  "  tbi$ 

199 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    K)IBLES 

amazing  fellow  will  dig  a  hole  in  the  universe  for 
to  bury  the  moon." 

"  I  would  that  all  men  had  ambition, "  said  the 
lady,  looking  down  at  her  shoe.  "If  Witty  had 
only  a  little  of  that  precious  salt  which  forms  a 
sediment  at  the  bottom  of  every  fine  action  he 
would  be  one's  beau-ideal  of  a  hero,  a  Christian, 
and  a  philosopher." 

"  Minx !  "  exclaimed  the  solicitor.  "  If  it  were 
not  for  my  ambition  I  should  never  rise  from  my 
bed." 

"  So  this  wonderful  Mr.  Whitcomb  has  no  am- 
bition!" said  Northcote.  "You  see  I  have  found 
his  character  so  complex,  that  in  my  capacity  of  an 
amateur  of  the  human  mind  I  am  picking  it  out, 
here  a  little,  there  a  little,  piece  by  piece." 

"  You  must  give  him  no  marks  for  ambition," 
said  the  lady.  "  But  since  when  did  you  become 
acquainted  with  him  not  to  have  found  out  that  ?  " 

"  Since  this  evening  at  ten." 

"  Ah,  then,  you  are  absolved.  He  will  certainly 
baffle  you  at  first." 

"  He  is  wholly  incomprehensible  to  me.  He  is  a 
man  of  moods  who  oughtn't  to  have  any." 

The  lady  clapped  her  hands  in  a  little  ripple  of 
glee. 

"  How  right,"  she  cried.  "  In  a  dozen  little 
words  you  have  shown  me  the  nothingness  of  my 
own  knowledge." 

"  Of  course  he  has.  Vapid  One,"  said  Mr.  Whit- 
comb. "  Have  I  not  told  you  he  carries  a  genie  in 
his  pocket?  " 

"  Then  that  is  why  his  eyes  are  so  deep  and 
bright,"  said  the  lady,  turning  to  peruse  Northcote 

191 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

again  with  an  unfathomable  coquetry ;  "  and  would 
you  not  say,  Witty,  that  the  genie  is  in  some  sort 
responsible  for  his  mouth  ?  '' 

'*  Is  this  public  laying  of  one  another  upon  the 
dissecting-table  a  new  parlor-game  that  has  been 
brought  into  vogue  by  the  long  winter  evenings, 
may  I  ask?"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  concealing  a 
yawn. 

"  Pray  do  not  be  insolent.  Witty.  The  proper 
study  of  mankind  is  Man." 

"  In  the  words  of  Pope,"  said  the  solicitor,  turn- 
ing to  replenish  his  glass. 

"  You  can  see  how  Mr.  Whitcomb  bafflles  me," 
said  Northcote,  who  did  not  propose  to  lose  the  op- 
portunity of  following  up  his  clue. 

"  Is  it  his  attitude  to  hansom  cabmen  that  makes 
him  so  dark?  " 

"  That  is  contributory.  But  it  is  mainly  because 
he  has  come  before  me  in  the  guise  of  a  waverer 
that  I  stand  so  much  at  fault.  If  one  knows  any- 
thing about  anything  one  would  be  prepared  to 
affirm  that  nature  had  designed  Samuel  Whitcomb 
to  know  his  own  mind." 

"  He  does  as  a  rule.  I  have  never  known  him 
waver  in  anything;  but  then,  of  course,  it  is  only 
quite  recently  that  he  has  begun  to  associate  with 
dangerous  persons  who  keep  a  genie." 

"  Do  you  suggest  that  he  is  susceptible  to  such 
a  thing  as  a  genie  ?  Would  it  have  a  malign  influ- 
ence upon  him,  do  you  suppose?" 

"I  would  suggest  it  to  be  likely  in  the  highest 
degree." 

"  Now,  look  here,  my  young  friends,"  interposed 
the  solicitor  at  this  point,  with  a  broad  good  humor, 

1 02 


MR.    WHITCOMB'S    FOIBLES 

"  Samuel  Whitcomb  does  not  propose  to  play  the 
part  of  the  corpse  at  the  lecture  on  anatomy." 

"  You  will  help  yourself  to  another  drink  like  a 
good  boy,"  said  the  lady  severely;  "and  you  will 
please  to  say  nothing  until  we  have  dealt  with  your 
'  case.'  Your  character  need  not  fear  the  lancet  and 
bistoury  of  true  science.  Tell  me,  Mr.  Northcote, 
wherein  he  is  a  waverer." 

"  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  you  put  that  question," 
said  the  young  man,  with  a  gesture  of  triumph  he 
did  not  try  to  conceal,  "  for  now  it  is  that  I  unfold 
my  tale." 


103 


XII 

THE    FAITH    OF    A    SIREN 

"  At  about  ten  o'clock  this  evening,"  Northcote 
began,  '*  as  I  was  kneeling  in  front  of  the  fire  — 
there  was  not  any  fire,  by  the  way,  as  it  costs  too 
much  to  afford  one  sometimes  —  in  my  miserable 
dwelling  at  the  top  of  Shepherd's  Inn,  the  oldest 
and  most  moribund  of  all  the  buildings  in  Fleet 
Street,  who  should  come  climbing  up  to  the  topmost 
story  of  the  rickety  and  unwholesome  stairs,  under 
which  the  rats  have  made  their  home  for  many 
generations,  but  Mr.  Whitcomb.  And  what  do  you 
suppose  was  his  business?  " 

"  He  wished  to  buy  one  of  your  pictures." 

"  Ah,  no,  I  am  not  a  painter." 

"  I  thought  there  was  a  chance  of  it,  since  they 
say  all  very  good  painters  are  so  poor.  But  perhaps 
you  are  a  little  too  fierce,  although  I  am  told  these 
impressionists  are  terrible  men." 

"  The  painting  of  pictures  is  one  of  the  few 
things  I  have  not  attempted,"  said  the  young  man, 
consenting  to  this  interruption  that  he  might  sit  for 
his  own  portrait. 

"  Well,  I  should  not  say  you  are  a  writer  of 
fiction.  They  are  so  tame.  Besides  they  are  all 
nearly  as  rich  as  solicitors." 

"Why  not  a  poet?" 

"  Why  not  ?  although  your  fierceness  would  make 
you  a  dramatic,  not  a  lyric  one.     Still  it  is  impos- 

104 


THE    FAITH    OF    A    SIREN 

sible  for  you  to  be  a  poet,  because  I  am  sure  that 
Witty  would  never  have  climbed  up  all  those  stairs 
to  your  miserable  garret  —  I  feel  sure  it  is  a  garret 
with  a  sloping  roof  with  a  hole  in  it  —  " 

"  There  is  a  pool  under  the  hole  which  has  been 
caused  by  the  percolation   of  water  — " 

"On  to  the  atrocious  bare  boards,  its  occupant 
being  much  too  poor  to  afford  a  carpet.  Yes,  Witty 
would  never  have  climbed  up  to  your  garret  if  you 
had  been  a  poet.  Or  stay,  he  might,  had  you  been 
Mrs.  Felicia  Hemans.  As  you  are  a  seeker  of  doc- 
umentary evidence,  he  has  been  known  to  recite  her 
poems,  at  the  request  of  the  rector  of  this  parish,  to 
a  Sunday-school  party." 

"  Base  woman,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  an  air  of 
injury;  "I  claim  to  be  an  admirer  of  the  poet 
Longfellow." 

"  Never,  Witty,  in  your  heart;  it  is  merely  your 
fatal  craving  to  be  respectable  in  all  things.  But  in 
the  matter  of  poetry  you  must  be  content  to  remain 
outside.  You  would  never  have  climbed  those 
rickety  stairs  to  that  cold  garret  to  see  John 
Keats." 

"  Well,  now,  Featherhead,  did  I  not  tell  you  at 
the  first  that  our  young  friend  was  England's  future 
Lord   Chancellor?" 

"  I  will  never  believe  that ;  I  will  never  believe 
that  his  destiny  is  the  law.  His  eye  has  amazing 
flashes ;  and  is  there  not  a  beautiful  eloquence  burn- 
ing in  his  mouth?  I  cannot  think  of  him  as  rich 
Witty,  and  successful  Witty,  and  smug  Witty,  like 
you  atrocious  lawyers.  He  is  one  who  would  be  an 
overthrower  of  dynasties,  a  saviour  of  societies." 

"  You  are  letting  your  tongue  wag,  Noodle.    If 
I  OS 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

you  talk  so  much  it  will  take  the  young  man  until 
daybreak  to  unfold  his  story." 

"  I  am  an  advocate,"  said  Northcote. 

"An  advocate,"  said  the  lady  softly;  "yes,  I 
think  you  may  be  that.  One  no  more  associates 
an  advocate  with  the  law  than  one  associates  a 
poet  with  a  publisher." 

"  You  would  say,"  said  Northcote,  "  that  it  is  the 
function  of  an  advocate  to  draw  his  sword  for  the 
truth,  for  progress,  for  justice,  for  every  human 
amenity  ?  " 

"  I  would,  indeed.  Why,  if  one  thinks  about  it, 
surely  it  is  nobler  to  be  an  advocate  than  to  be  a 
poet  or  a  soldier.  One  might  say  it  was  the  highest 
calling  in  the  world." 

"  Then  let  us  say  it,"  said  the  young  man,  "  for 
I  verily  believe  it  to  be  so." 

"  And  what,  pray,  was  Witty's  business  with  this 
advocate?  " 

"They  are  going  to  hang  a  woman;  and  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  who  to  his  infinite  complexities  and 
many-sidedness  as  a  citizen  of  the  world  adds  a 
leaven  of  the  finest  humanitarian  principles,  has 
undertaken  to  save  the  poor  creature  from  a  fate 
so  pitiful." 

"  To  hang  a  woman !  "  said  the  lady,  drawing  in 
her  breath  with  a  sharp  sound.  "  Is  it  still  possi- 
ble to  hang  a  woman  at  this  time  of  day?" 

"  Perfectly,"  said  the  young  man.  "  They  do  it 
in  every  Christian  country." 

"  Then  the  world  has  need  for  an  advocate,"  said 
the  lady,  with  horror  in  her  eyes.  "  It  is  necessary 
that  we  should  have  yet  another  champion  for  our 
sex  in  Christendom.    Yes,  this  was  he  whom  Witty 

1 06 


THE    FAITH    OF    A    SIREN 

came  to  seek  in  that  garret  at  the  top  of  all  those 
rickety  stairs." 

"  He  came  to  seek,  and  found  no  less  a  person," 
said  Northcote.  "  And  having  found  this  authen- 
tic champion  of  your  sex,  he  gave  him  a  mandate 
to  plead  on  behalf  of  this  unfortunate  creature,  the 
least  happy  of  all  its  members." 

"  What  a  moment  of  high  inspiration  for  us 
and  for  him,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  glance  of  ten- 
derness. 

"  It  was  even  as  you  say.  But  I  would  have 
you  mark  what  follows.  Scarcely  has  he  bestowed 
these  high  plenary  powers  upon  one  whom  he  has 
ventured  to  select  from  among  all  the  great  mul- 
titude to  champion  your  sex  in  the  name  of  hu- 
manity, than  for  a  whim  he  withdraws  his  man- 
date." 

"  Impossible;  it  would  be  an  outrage  upon 
us." 

"  Yes;  unconditionally  and  peremptorily  he  with- 
draws his  mandate." 

**  Impossible ;  they  will  do  the  poor  creature  to 
death." 

"  Yes,  they  will  do  her  to  death.  He  who  has 
been  called  to  the  office  of  averting  her  doom  has 
decreed  that  she  must  walk  to  embrace  it  without 
a  friend  to  plead  her  cause  before  humanity." 

"  Surely  this  cannot  be;  society  itself  must  pro- 
test." 

"One  expects  it;   yet  things  are  as  they  are." 

The  beautiful  creature  turned  to  the  solicitor  with 
an  almost  royal  air. 

"  What,  sir,  can  you  find  to  say  in  your  de- 
fence?" 

107 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Mr.  Whitcomb  gave  a  short  laugh. 

"  I  yield,"  said  he. 

"  You  restore  the  mandate  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  yes !  My  blood  be  on  my  own  head, 
but  so  it  must  be.  It  is  beyond  flesh  and  blood  to 
withstand  such  a  pair.  You,  madam,  are  a  socer- 
ess;   and  this  fellow  is  the  devil." 

*'  I  am  content  to  be  a  sorceress  in  the  cause  of 
my  unfortunate  sex,"  cried  the  lady;  and  turning 
to  Northcote  added  gravely :  "  And  is  it  not  high 
time  that  we  acquired  a  devil  for  our  advo- 
cate?" 

Northcote,  who  from  the  moment  of  her  first 
appearance  had  foreseen  a  victory,  took  her  hand 
to  his  lips  impulsively,  with  an  expression  of  grati- 
tude. 

*'  I  hope  this  will  be  all  right,"  said  the  solicitor, 
viewing  his  surrender  with  a  rueful  smile.  ''  You 
see  it  is  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  a  foreboding 
has  overtaken  me  in  the  midst  of  action.  Whether 
it  is  the  importance  of  the  case,  the  obscurity  of 
the  advocate,  or  a  certain  flamboyancy  in  his  bear- 
ing which  is  so  repugnant  to  an  English  common 
lawyer,  I  cannot  tell;  but  let  me  confess  that  I 
have  already  a  premonition  that  I  have  been  guilty 
of  a  mistake.  And  I  will  go  farther,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  with  a  wry  laugh ;  *'  I  even  see  ruin, 
blue  ruin  for  all  concerned,  hidden  in  this  irreso- 
lute act.     Sharp  little  shivers  go  down  my  spine." 

"  It  is  no  more  than  the  reaction,"  said  North- 
cote, "  which  attends  our  highest  resolves.  Is  it 
not  in  such  moments  that  a  man  truly  measures 
himself?  It  must  have  been  at  the  fall  of  the 
barometer  that  Samson  was  shorn  of  his  locks." 

1 08 


THE    FAITH    OF    A    SIREN 

"  Is  there  not  always  a  woman  in  these  cases?  " 
said  the  lady.  "  This  unfortunate  creature  whom 
our  advocate  is  to  deliver  from  the  gallows,  may 
she  not  be  a  Delilah  of  some  kind?  " 


I 


109 


XIII 

BE    BOLD,    WARY,    FEAR    NOT 

At  these  words,  lightly  spoken,  Northcote  grew 
conscious  of  an  indescribable  sensation  which  he 
had  never  experienced  before. 

"If  it  were  one's  custom,"  he  said,  with  a  laugh 
as  wry  as  the  solicitor's,  "  ever  to  heed  the  note  of 
prophecy,  one  might  discern  it  in  your  words.  But 
I  will  not  do  so.  Since  that  dark  hour  in  which 
I  summoned  the  genie,  have  I  not  adopted  as  my 
device,  *  Be  bold,  wary,  fear  not '  ?  " 

"  Now  you  come  to  mention  it,"  said  the  solic- 
itor, "  it  may  be  this  talk  of  the  genie  that  has 
filled  me  with  these  forebodings." 

*'  That  is  very  foolish.  Witty,"  said  the  lady. 
"  You  have  but  to  look  into  the  eyes  of  our  advo- 
cate to  know  what  it  is  and  where  it  dwells." 

"  He  is  quite  entitled  to  keep  one,  of  course,  but 
it  is  not  usual  to  take  it  into  society.  I  sometimes 
think  I  may  have  a  bit  of  a  genie  myself,  but  I  do 
what  I  can  to  keep  it  a  profound  secret  from  the 
world." 

"  Should  a  man  venture  to  compliment  himself, 
Witty,  upon  the  score  of  his  reticence  ? " 

"  Would  you  not  say,"  inquired  Northcote,  "  that 
all  our  reticences  had  their  roots  in  our  cowardice?  " 

"  I  would  love  to  say  it  if  I  dared.  And  I  would 
love  to  say  of  our  advocate  that  his  genie  enables 
him  to  fear  nothing." 

no 


BE    BOLD,   WARY,   FEAR    NOT 

"  Yes,"  said  Northcote,  "  you  shall  say  that." 

"  A  man  must  have  fear  of  some  kind,"  said 
the  solicitor,  "  if  he  is  to  succeed  against  enormous 
odds." 

"  There  may  be  a  place  for  it  in  his  reflections, 
but  never  in  his  resolves.  Hence  you  will  discern 
how  our  reticence  has  its  basis  in  our  cowardice." 

"  Subtle  brute,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  giving  his 
mustache  a  tug  of  perplexity.  "  He  is  entering 
upon  his  special  function  of  turning  black  into 
white." 

"  Nay,"  said  Northcote,  "  the  subtlety  is  not 
mine,  but  Francis  Bacon's." 

"  Good,  O  Advocate !  "  said  the  lady,  as  she  re- 
warded him  with  bright  eyes.  "  You  do  well  to 
confute  the  Philistine  with  a  learned  name." 

Again  the  young  man  carried  the  jewelled  hand 
to  his  lips.  He  felt  the  lithe  fingers  respond  with 
a  sweet  and  secret  motion. 

*'  Rogue !  "  said  the  solicitor,  laughing.  "  George 
Sand  and  De  Musset  —  Polly  Whitcomb  and  the 
greengrocer  at  the  back  door.  Well,  Mischief,  as 
you  have  entered  into  a  compact  with  this  fellow 
to  get  him  his  way,  play  us  another  bit  of  a  tune, 
he  shall  keep  his  brief,  and  we  will  go  to  bed." 

"  I  knew  we  should  force  him  to  capitulate,"  said 
Northcote  to  the  siren,  as  he  arranged  the  stool 
before  the  piano. 

**  What  must  I  play?"  she  said,  looking  down 
at  her  hands. 

"  Play  me  a  bit  of  Beethoven,  so  that  I  may 
take  him  out  with  me  into  the  darkness  of  the 
streets." 

She  played  three  movements  of  a  symphony,  and 
III 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

all  his  senses  were  submerged  in  the  colors  of  ro- 
mance. These  fragrant  hues  which  had  a  delicate 
aroma  and  pungency  the  imagination  alone  can 
impart  were  of  no  time  or  country.  There  was 
nothing  that  the  mind  could  render  as  belonging 
to  itself;  the  faculties  which  embody  the  technical 
were  overcome  by  the  tumultuous  surgings  with 
which  they  were  oppressed.  He  seemed  to  be  trans- 
figured with  the  sense  of  joy,  to  be  overpowered 
with  the  knowledge  that  he  was  a  living  man,  able 
to  breathe  and  to  perform.  The  room  had  grown 
small  and  heavy.  He  was  consumed  with  an  over- 
mastering desire  for  the  spacious  streets,  for  the 
largeness  of  the  universe. 

"  There  is  a  bed  for  you  here,"  said  the  beautiful 
player,  almost  before  the  last  phrase  had  ceased  to 
vibrate  under  her  touch.  ''  We  could  not  think  of 
turning  you  out  at  this  hour." 

"  I  have  not  the  least  intention  of  staying,"  said 
Northcote.  "  The  hospitality  you  have  given  me 
already  has  been  too  profuse.  I  feel  that  I  must 
roam  for  the  rest  of  the  night  in  the  open  streets, 
a  Flying  Dutchman  of  the  London  slush.  Perhaps 
I  shall  fancy  myself  to  be  the  mad  music-maker 
of  Leipsic,  who  walked  at  night  on  the  ramparts 
to  weave  his  harmonies." 

*'  We  cannot  consent  to  your  leaving  us  in  this 
manner,"  said  the  hostess.  "  As  for  roaming 
through  the  night,  it  will  not  be  good  for  you.  Nor 
is  there  the  least  necessity  why  you  should." 

"  You  forget  his  genie,"  laughed  the  solicitor. 
"  The  infernal  thing  will  drive  him  all  over  the 
suburbs  of  south  London  and  send  him  home  via 
the  Crystal  Palace  and  Blackfriars  Bridge." 

112 


BE    BOLD,    WARY,    FEAR    NOT 

"  He  must  not  go  to-night,"  said  the  lady.  "  It 
will  be  a  perfectly  horrid  walk,  and  I  believe  the 
sleet  has  turned  into  rain.  It  will  be  awfully  cold 
and  unpleasant.  Besides,  if  anything  happens  to 
our  advocate  he  will  not  be  able  to  deliver  this 
unfortunate  creature  from  her  doom." 

"It  is  useless  to  argue  with  a  man  who  has  got 
a  genie,"  said  the  solicitor.  "  I  have  tried  the 
experiment  and  therefore  am  in  a  position  to  give 
evidence.  What  will  overtake  him  in  the  way  of 
adventures  I  dare  not  conjecture;  but  of  one  thing 
I  am  assured  —  no  earthly  power  will  cause  him 
to  alter  his  determination." 

*'  Alas !  I  know  it,"  said  the  lady,  sighing.  "  He 
has  a  face  that  will  yield  to  nothing." 

This  diagnosis  proved  to  be  correct,  at  least  as 
applied  to  this  instance,  as  in  spite  of  the  humane 
entreaties  of  the  lady,  supported  by  a  banter  which 
Mr.  Whitcomb  did  not  attempt  to  dissemble.  North- 
cote  insisted  on  faring  from  their  roof  at  a  quarter- 
past  three.  He  bade  them  adieu  with  a  cordiality 
that  was  eloquent  of  a  deep  sense  of  friendship. 

When  Mr.  Whitcomb  returned  to  the  drawing- 
room  after  having  shown  the  young  man  over  the 
threshold  of  his  residence,  he  faced  the  lady  with 
a  half-smile  of  bewilderment. 

"  Extraordinary  chap,"  he  said.  "  He  frightens 
me,  takes  me  out  of  my  depth.  There  is  such  a  bee 
buzzing  about  in  his  bonnet  that  he  might  come 
wofully  to  grief  on  Friday.  If  he  does,  there  will 
be  none  but  myself  to  blame,  for  he  is  wholly  with- 
out experience." 

"  I  think  you  may  trust  him,"  said  the  woman 
softly. 

"3 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Well,  you  are  a  mass  of  instincts,  Miss  Pussy. 
And  you  counsel  me  to  stick  to  your  advocate?  " 

"  I  do.  Witty ;  closer  than  a  brother.  I  think 
he  is  perfectly  amazing.  I  think  he  will  make  the 
fortunes  of  all  who  are  connected  with  him." 

"  Another  Michael  Tobin,  would  you  say  ?  " 

"  What  a  dunce  it  is,"  said  the  lady,  with  an 
indulgent  sigh.  "  Michael  and  this  man  don't  inhabit 
the  same  hemisphere.  Michael  is  a  dear  fellow, 
brilliant,  clever,  but  only  surface  deep;  this  is  an 
ogre  of  a  creature,  a  monster,  deep  as  the  sea, 
of  the  proportions  of  the  universe." 

"  Come,  I  say,  Mrs.  Noodle ;  they  don't  call  that 
sort  to  the  bar.  They  might  find  the  purlieus  of 
the  law  too  confining." 

"If  you  have  not  yet  learned  to  scorn  my  advice, 
Witty,  take  care  never  to  have  this  man  against 
you.  If  you  have  him  on  your  side  every  time 
you  go  into  court,  you  will  not  have  many  lost 
causes  to  record." 

"  He  is  clever,  I  grant  you,  but  the  worst  of  it 
is  he  knows  it." 

"  He  is  arrogant  with  power.  Witty,  which  is 
somewhat  different,  although  it  sounds  the  same. 
I  think  he  is  a  perfectly  terrible  man,  and  he  looks 
so  big  and  great  and  deadly.  Did  you  notice  his 
enormous  hands  ?  Did  you  observe  his  chest  ?  And 
that  voice  as  soft  as  a  flute  yet  as  deep  as  an 
organ?  " 

"  You  are  completely  conquered,  Featherhead. 
Yet  you  would  not  call  this  phenomenon  precisely 
beautiful?" 

"  Strength  is  more  beautiful  than  symmetry,  I 
think;   although  I  grant  you  that  huge  square  jowl 

114 


BE    BOLD,    WARY,    FEAR    NOT 

verges  upon  the  horrible.  It  is  far  worse  than 
yours,  my  dear,  although  the  poor  hansom  cabmen 
are  constantly  mistaking  it  for  that  of  an  eminent 
pugilist." 

"  Well,  little  gal,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  I  shall  heed 
you  once  more,  since  your  luck  is  proverbial.  I 
am  prepared  to  back  our  latest  discovery  pretty 
heavily,  although  I  must  confess  that  when  in  cold 
blood  I  catch  myself  thinking  of  his  infernal  genie 
he  frightens  me  to  death." 


«»5 


XIV 

A   JURY   OF   TWO 

In  the  meantime  the  subject  of  these  speculations 
had  entered  the  night.  Food  and  wine  in  unac- 
customed quantities,  the  romance  of  events,  the 
spells  cast  by  music  and  by  a  woman  of  signal 
beauty  and  accomplishment,  had  provoked  his  ener- 
gies to  an  insurgency  that  had  rendered  them  over- 
bearing. He  walked  like  a  whirlwind,  up  one 
street  and  down  another,  in  the  chill  wet  darkness, 
not  knowing  whither  he  was  bound.  Soft  yet  wild 
strains  of  melody  which  still  floated  through  his 
brain  mingled  with  a  swarm  of  ideas  which  were 
whirling  about  in  it  like  so  many  atoms  in  a  pro- 
toplasm. He  moved  so  fast  in  the  endeavor  to 
keep  abreast  of  his  thoughts  that  at  times  he  broke 
into  a  run. 

The  seductive,  amiable,  and  brilliant  woman,  who 
had  so  nearly  succeeded  in  casting  over  him  a  de- 
licious spell,  began  to  fade  from  his  consciousness 
like  the  intangible  occupant  of  a  dream.  She  had 
no  appeal  for  him  now.  The  feast  at  the  restau- 
rant, that  phase  of  color,  warmth,  and  splendor 
in  which  for  an  hour  the  squalor  of  his  existence 
had  been  dispelled ;  the  struggle  to  retain  the  treas- 
ure which  had  been  entrusted  to  his  keeping  by  a  su- 
pernatural agent ;  the  bizarre  incident  of  the  hansom 
cabman;  and  the  personality  of  the  genial  god  out 
of  the  machine  had  now  ceased  to  have  significance. 

ii6 


A    JURY    OF    TWO 

Indeed  one  thing  alone  merged  his  faculties  in 
his  overstimulated  thoughts.  It  was  the  packet 
which  he  could  feel  in  the  breast-pocket  of  his  coat, 
towards  which  his  hands  were  straying  constantly. 
These  pages  of  foolscap  bound  with  red  tape,  were 
they  not  his  magic  talisman?  By  that  occult  pres- 
ence had  not  his  thwarted  bleak  and  empty  life 
been  changed  into  an  electrical  existence  crowded 
with  glory? 

His  brain  bursting  with  ideas,  he  began  to  run 
faster  and  faster  through  the  maze  of  endless 
streets,  lined  with  high  garden  walls,  portentously 
respectable  dwelling-houses,  lamps,  shops,  and  se- 
cretive silent-footed  policemen.  These  frequently 
flashed  their  lanterns  upon  him,  for  the  manner  of 
his  progress  had  an  illegal  air.  Even  at  the  height 
of  this  orgy  of  freedom,  the  question  shaped  itself 
with  the  oddest  definiteness  as  to  whether  it  would 
not  be  expedient  to  curb  his  paces,  since  if  he  were 
stopped,  he  feared  lest  he  should  be  able  to  render 
an  account  of  himself  that  would  be  sufficiently 
lucid  to  commend  itself  to  the  myrmidons  of  the 
law. 

When  at  last  his  exertions  had  thrown  him  out 
of  breath,  and  his  frame  did  not  respond  with 
quite  the  same  unanimity  to  his  passion,  he  stopped 
under  a  lamp  in  the  middle  of  a  street  on  the  side 
of  a  steep  hill,  took  out  the  precious  document  he 
carried,  and  began  to  peruse  it  for  sheer  human 
pleasure.  He  even  pressed  his  lips  to  this  prosaic 
thing,  with  no  less  of  fervor,  indeed  with  more 
abandonment  than  he  had  saluted  the  hand  of  the 
sorceress  who  had  been  the  means  of  restoring  it 
to  his  care. 

117 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  I  must  make  her  my  saint,  I  must  burn  candles 
to  her,"  he  muttered,  recalling  her  image  with  a 
sense  of  rapture. 

As  he  stood  under  the  lamp,  a  very  large  and 
slow-footed  policeman  waddled  up  towards  him, 
trying  doors  and  casting  the  light  of  his  lantern 
down  the  areas  he  passed.  As  he  went  by,  keenly 
scrutinizing  the  figure  of  the  young  man,  yet  pre- 
tending not  to  notice  it,  Northcote  hailed  him. 

"Where  might  I  be,  policeman?  I  am  strange 
to  these  parts." 

"  Well,"  said  the  policeman  slowly  and  with 
effort,  *'  you  might  be  in  Balham,  but  you  ain't. 
Likewise,  you  might  be  at  Charing  Cross,  but  you 
are  not  there,  nuther." 

"  I  observe,  policeman,  that  you  have  graduated 
in  the  school  of  judicial  humor,"  said  Northcote, 
delighted  by  the  suavity  of  outline  of  X012.  "  If 
every  man  had  his  rights,  which  of  course  it  is 
Utopian  to  expect,  you  would  be  adding  lustre  to 
the  bench.  Your  mental  gifts  fit  you  equally  to  be 
a  judge,  a  recorder,  or  a  stipendiary  magistrate." 

Such  an  exaggerated  view  of  his  merits  pro- 
duced a  deep- founded  suspicion  in  the  honest  breast 
of  X012. 

"If  every  man  had  'is  rights,"  said  the  custodian 
of  the  peace,  speaking  slowly  and  with  effort,  and 
eying  Northcote  with  the  solemnity  of  a  horse, 
"  you'd  be  took  up  on  suspicion,  young  feller,  and 
charged  with  loitering  with  intent." 

Northcote  dispelled  the  suburban  quietude  with 
a  guffaw. 

"  Being  unwilling,"  said  he,  "  to  impale  myself 
upon  that  spiked  railing  which  calls  itself  the  law, 

118 


A   JURY   OF    TWO 

I  ought  to  be  extremely  careful  to  refrain  in  its 
presence  from  the  vexed  and  overmuch  discussed 
question  of  whether  the  badinage  of  its  minions 
is  wit,  wisdom,  humor,  or  a  veritable  cesspool  of 
human  inanity." 

X012  was  so  much  astonished  by  these  words 
and  the  forcible  mode  of  their  delivery  that  he 
pulled  his  whistle  out  of  his  coat,  and  proceeded 
to  toy  with  it  in  an  irresolute  fashion.  Before  he 
had  decided  to  summon  aid  by  blowing  it,  there 
appeared  round  the  corner  of  an  adjacent  street 
a  second  constable,  in  all  essentials  of  bearing, 
physique,  and  mental  energy  the  perfect  replica 
of  himself. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  come,  Bill,"  said  X012.  "  I've 
got  a  rum  one  'ere.  I  don't  know  what  he's  been 
drinking,  but  you  should  just  hear  his  languidge. 
Here  he  was  under  this  lamp,  a-purtendin'  to  read 
a  newspaper  at  twenty  past  four  by  the  mornin'." 

"Noticed  his  mug?"  said  his  confrere  Z9. 
"  Bob  Capper,  the  'ousebreaker,  who  just  done  in 
'is  last  seven  stretch  an'  was  let  out  on  license  last 
Tuesday." 

"Got  it  in  one!"  said  X012,  not  without  en- 
thusiasm. "  We  'ad  better  take  him  to  the  station 
and  have  'im  searched." 

"  This  is  the  result  of  a  misplaced  jocularity  in 
the  presence  of  professional  wits,"  said  Northcote, 
with  an  amiability  that  was  viewed  with  consid- 
erable disfavor  by  both  constables.  "  I  hope  you 
will  forgive  me,  my  friends.  The  only  excuse  I 
can  urge  for  impinging  upon  the  prerogative  of  the 
legal  supernumerary,  if  I  may  so  express  myself, 
is  that  as  one  day  I  am  certain  to  be  a  judge,  I  feel 

119 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

it  to  be  due  to  the  lofty  elevation  I  shall  be  called 
to  occupy,  and  of  which  I  intend  to  be  so  signal  an 
ornament,  to  neglect  no  opportunity  of  acquiring 
these  cardinal  principles  of  humor,  dangerous, 
double-edged  implement  though  it  be,  which  can 
only  be  done  by  association  with  those  past-masters 
who  as  the  crowning  glory  of  our  admirable  legal 
system  inhabit  it  in  choice  perfection  in  all  its 
branches.  I  hope,  my  friends,  I  have  made  myself 
perfectly  clear." 

*'  Clear  as  mud,"  said  Z9. 

"Impidence!"  exclaimed  X012;  "downright 
impidence !  Certin  to  be  a  judge !  Why,  Lord  love 
me,  young  feller,  if  ever  they  ax  you  to  be  the  judge 
of  a  pair  o'  pullets  at  a  poultry  show  you'll  be 
lucky." 

"  Balmy,"  said  Z9,  tapping  his  forehead  with  an 
air  of  Christian  pity. 

"  You  are  very  probably  right,"  said  Northcote. 
"  I  suspect  there  is  a  basis  of  truth  in  this  scien- 
tific opinion  which  you  have  embodied  in  so  expres- 
sive an  idiom.  But  at  the  same  time  I  would  ask 
you,  is  it  not  a  somewhat  extreme  view  to  take  of 
the  mental  condition  of  a  barrister-at-law  who  has 
been  nominated  to  appear  at  the  court  of  the  Old 
Bailey  to-morrow  morning  at  the  hour  of  ten- 
thirty  to  defend  one  Emma  Harrison,  who  at  that 
time  and  in  that  place  will  stand  her  trial  for  wilful 
murder  ?  " 

"  A-going  to  defend  Emma  Harrison ! "  ex- 
claimed the  constables.  "  Why,  what  will  he  be 
saying  next?  " 

"  I  do  say  that,  my  friends,"  said  Northcote, 
with  a  note  of  imperiousness  in  his  voice  that  was 

120 


A   JURY   OF    TWO 

not  without  its  effect  on  these  astonished  minions 
of  the  law.  "  And  I  want  you  both  to  stand  back 
a  yard  or  two  against  the  railings,  while  I  advance 
to  the  curb;  and  further,  I  want  you  for  a  few 
minutes  to  imagine  that  you  are  the  jury,  and  I  will 
rehearse  the  opening  of  my  speech  for  the  defence. 
I  shall  begin  something  like  this." 

"  Oh,  will  you  now?  "  muttered  Z9  to  his  com- 
panion.    "Well,  if  this  don't  beat  cock-fighting!" 

Both  these  constables,  overawed  already  by  the 
authentic  manner  of  the  advocate,  were  now  de- 
voured by  curiosity, 

"  Listen,"  said  he.  "  I  rise  in  my  place  with  this 
bundle  of  papers  in  my  hand,  which  I  shall  not 
consult,  but  shall  cling  to  to  gain  confidence,  and 
I  shall  say:  May  it  please  your  lordship  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  jury,  this  is  a  dreadful  issue  you  are 
sworn  to  try.  Indeed  it  would  be  difficult  for  the 
human  conscience  to  conceive  an  ordeal  more  re- 
pugnant to  the  moral  nature  of  man,  one  in  sharper 
antagonism  to  those  principles  that  are  his  priceless 
inheritance,  than  is  revealed  to  you  by  the  situation 
in  which  you  stand.  It  is  not  by  your  own  choice 
that  you  come  to  take  your  places  in  this  assem- 
bly. It  is  not  in  obedience  to  your  own  instincts 
that  you  have  left  your  toil  to  subscribe  to  a  law 
which  is  not  of  your  own  making.  I  venture  to 
affirm  this  without  fear,  for  is  not  this  ordeal  into 
which  you  are  thrown  in  deadly  conflict  with  the 
behests  of  that  unfearing  spirit  who,  nineteen  cen- 
turies ago,  discovered  the  only  possible  faith  for 
His  kind? 

*'  It  is  as  the  inheritors,  gentlemen,  of  an  inim- 
itable tradition,  not  as  administrators  of  a  penal 


HENRY    NORl^HCOTE 

code,  that  I  venture  to  address  to  you  these  word§. 
And  let  me  tell  you  why  I  venture  to  address  you 
in  this  fashion.  It  is  because  the  life  of  a  fellow 
creature  is  at  stake;  it  is  because  sitting  here  in 
conclave  in  this  place  you  are  enmeshed  in  the  most 
grievous  ordeal  that  the  fruit  of  human  imperfec- 
tion is  able,  at  this  time  of  day,  to  impose  upon 
you.  For  that  reason,  gentlemen,  I  conceive  that 
you  are  entitled  to  take  your  stand  upon  a  lofty  and 
secure  platform  to  survey  this  issue,  a  platform 
which  has  been  raised  for  the  oppressed,  the  un- 
happy, and  those  who  are  doubtful  of  their  way, 
by  the  travail  of  the  choicest  spirit  in  the  annals 
of  human  nature. 

"  Gentlemen,  you  are  called  upon  to  adjudicate 
upon  the  life  of  a  woman.  You  are  called  upon 
to  do  so  at  the  bidding  of  a  formula,  whose  hideous 
and  obsolete  enactments  are  the  fruit  of  an  imper- 
fect culture  of  a  partial  and  unsympathetic  inter- 
pretation of  those  laws  to  which  every  civilized 
community  owes  its  name.  Gentlemen,  you  are 
called  upon  to  adjudicate  upon  the  life  of  a  woman; 
you  rate-payers  of  London,  you  gentle  and  devout 
citizens,  you  to  whom  life  has  given  as  the  crown 
of  your  endeavor,  as  the  consecration  of  your  pain- 
ful daily  labor,  mothers,  wives,  and  daughters  of 
your  own. 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  we  must  indeed  ascend  the 
loftiest  and  most  secure  platform  known  to  us,  to 
survey  the  ordeal  that  our  own  imperfection  has 
presented  to  us. 

"  You  have  heard  the  words  that  have  fallen 
from  the  lips  of  my  learned  friend,  the  counsel  for 
the  Crown.     You  have  examined  the  facts  which 

122 


A    JURY   OIF   TWO 

he  has  marshalled  before  you.  You  have  noted  th^ 
inferences  which  he  has  not  been  afraid  to  draw. 
You  have  been  thrilled  by  the  union  of  a  consum- 
mate skill  with  a  consummate  learning.  All  that  is 
base,  sordid,  and  unworthy  in  the  human  heart  has 
been  stripped  naked  before  your  eyes.  The  small- 
est acts  of  this  unfortunate  woman  have  been 
shown  to  you  as  vile;  even  the  aspirations  which 
are  allowed  to  ennoble  her  sex  have  been  rendered 
abominable.  Every  kind  of  mental  and  moral 
degradation  has  been  made  to  defile  before  you; 
for  verily  there  is  no  Hmit  to  the  talent  of  this 
accomplished  gentleman. 

"  That  such  a  talent  should  have  taken  service 
with  an  outworn  formula  is  a  great  public  danger. 
For  just  as  our  common  humanity  is  able  to  as- 
sure us  that  the  acts  of  the  most  wicked  are  not 
always  wrong,  so  those  of  the  finest  integrity  would 
not  bear  dissection  at  the  hands  of  a  cold  and  sci- 
entific cynicism.  Our  every  act  has  two  faces. 
One  is  presented  to  belief,  the  other  to  unbelief; 
one  is  presented  to  truth,  the  other  to  error.  And 
as  this  penal  code  of  ours,  which  we  traverse  con- 
stantly with  searchings  of  heart,  is  itself  a  survival 
of  a  time  of  gross  darkness,  called  into  being  by 
unbelief  and  fostered  by  error,  the  acts  of  the  best 
and  worthiest  among  us  are  Hable  to  be  visited  by 
the  sword  of  the  avenger,  in  other  words  by  jus- 
tice. I  am  convinced  that  if  any  one  of  you  gen- 
tlemen, or  any  private  citizen,  was  called  upon  to 
rebut  the  most  awful  charge  that  can  be  levelled 
against  him,  innocent  as  you  might  be,  innocent 
as  he  might  be,  it  would  be  found  immensely  diffi- 
cult, I  will  not  say  impossible,  to  combat  the  deadly 

123 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

array  of  inferences  which  would  be  marshalled 
against  you  in  the  interests  of  this  penal  code  by 
one  of  the  most  talented  of  its  servants.  The  mere 
fact  that  you  had  come  to  stand  your  trial  in  this 
noisome  chamber,  itself  stained  with  a  thousand 
crimes  committed  in  the  name  of  justice,  and  that 
a  cruel  chain  of  events  had  forced  you  to  vindicate 
your  kinship  with  the  divine  will  in  the  precincts 
of  this  charnel-house  —  it  is  well,  gentlemen,  that 
the  windows  are  kept  so  close,  for  who  would  have 
this  foulness  mingle  with  the  air  of  London?" 

For  the  best  part  of  an  hour  in  that  raw  winter 
morning,  with  a  drizzling  rain  falling  incessantly, 
did  Northcote  continue  to  rehearse  his  address  to 
the  jury.  The  amused  intolerance  of  his  hearers 
yielded  to  an  intense  interest.  They  had  been  pres- 
ent in  court  on  many  occasions  and  had  heard  these 
things  for  themselves,  but  never  had  they  listened 
to  a  voice  of  such  dominion,  of  such  volume  and 
majesty,  a  voice  capable  of  such  burning  appeal. 
They  stood  merely  at  the  threshold  of  the  argu- 
ment, it  was  true;  but  the  art  of  the  orator  un- 
folded it,  made  it  clear.  His  natural  magic,  his 
incommunicable  gift,  rendered  it  with  the  harmony 
of  music,  so  that  before  the  end  these  oxlike  cus- 
todians of  the  peace,  far  from  growing  weary  of 
their  situation,  began  to  view  with  emotion  the 
injury  that  threatened  an  outcast  from  society. 

'*  Go  on,  sir,"  said  Z9  humbly;  "  youVe  the  gift 
and  no  mistake.  They'll  not  be  able  to  hang  her  if 
you  talk  to  'em  that  way." 

''  This  is  not  quite  the  form  it  will  take,  you 
know,"  said  Northcote,  whose  exertions  had  been 
so  great  that  he  was  breathing  heavily  and  drip- 

124 


A    JURY    OF    TWO 

ping  with  perspiration.  "  It  is  only  a  sort  of  open- 
ing roughly  blocked  out.  It  will  have  to  be  ren- 
dered a  bit  finer,  so  that  it  pins  them  like  a  fly  on 
a  card." 

"You'll  pin  them  to-morrow,  sir,"  said  Z9; 
"  you'll  get  your  verdict,  see  if  you  don't !  " 

Z9  spoke  with  the  proud  consciousness  of  one 
who  can  respond  to  an  intellectual  pleasure.  X012, 
with  a  mental  organization  of  less  delicacy,  al- 
though impressed  by  so  rare  a  personality,  yet  re- 
tained the  reverence  for  facts  of  the  honest  Eng- 
lishman. 

"  He've  a  gift  right  enough.  Bill,"  said  X012 
magisterially,  "  but  the  law  is  the  law  to  my  mind ; 
and  black's  black  an'  white's  white.  If  this  woman 
done  the  crime  — ■  I  don't  say  she  did,  mind  —  the 
law  will  'ang  her.  An'  rightly,  too.  This  gentle- 
man is  a  book-learned  man  and  a  horator,  —  I 
know  that  because  I  heard  Gladstone  on  Black- 
heath,  —  but  the  law  is  the  law  and  horatory  ain't 
a-going  to  alter  it." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you  both  for  your  courtesy," 
said  Northcote,  with  a  perfect  gravity,  "  and  my 
obligation  is  even  the  deeper  for  the  opinions  you 
have  been  good  enough  to  express.  You  are  pro- 
totypes of  the  twelve  honest  men  I  am  going  to 
sway;  and  I  take  it  that  if  my  address  were  to 
be  launched  in  its  present  immature  shape,  you,  sir, 
would  record  your  vote  for  an  acquittal,  and  you, 
sir,  for  the  severity  of  the  law  ?  " 

"  The  law  is  the  law  I  say,"  said  X012,  inflating 
his  chest  before  the  honor  of  this  direct  canvass 
of  his  intelligence,  "  an'  words  is  words,  although. 


125 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

mind  you,  sir,  I  respec's  you,  because  I  heard  Glad- 
stone on  Blackheath." 

"  I  assume,"  said  Northcote,  "  that  although  you 
admired  Gladstone's  oratory,  you  did  not  allow  it 
to  influence  your  judgment?" 

"  That's  'is  pig-headedness,  sir,"  said  Z9. 
"That's  just  like  a  Tory;  great  horators  can  talk 
till  all's  blue,  and  then  they  can't  get  daylight  into 
a  Tory.  'The  law  is  the  law,'  says  he;  an'  if  it 
come  to,  he'd  hang  his  own  fayther." 

"  I  take  it,  policeman,  that  you  try  to  keep  an 
open  mind,  a  mind  accessible  to  new  impressions  ?  " 

"  That  is  so,  sir,"  said  Z9.  "  I  say  with  you, 
sir,  that  although  the  law  is  the  law,  human  natur' 
is  human  natur'.  And  although  Bill  'Arper  is  just 
a  common  p'liceman  with  on'y  one  stripe,  an'  not 
a  lawyer  like  you,  sir,  nor  a  beak,  nor  a  judge,  'e 
never  goes  into  court  and  a-takes  off  'is  'elmet  but 
what  'e  feels  'igh-minded." 

"  Then,  policeman,  regarding  you  in  the  light 
of  a  juryman,  it  is  most  probable  that  you  would 
want  mercy  to  be  extended  to  the  prisoner,  in  spite 
of  the  law,  if  you  happened  to  be  in  your  present 
frame  of  mind  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  should  in  my  present  frame  o' 
mind." 

"More  shame  to  you,  Bill,"  said  X012;  "you 
are  a  nice  bloke  to  be  a  copper,  an'  no  mistake." 

"  Close  it,  'Orrice,"  said  Z9,  with  a  restrained  en- 
thusiasm ;  "  you  bloomin'  Tories  are  so  thick'eaded 
you  don't  know  nothing." 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  interposed  the  advocate, 
brushing  the  water  from  his  brief,  "  as  I  observe 
you  to  be  on  the  brink  of  an  altercation,  I  will 

126 


A   JURY    OF    TWO 

hasten  to  discharge  you  with  my  best  thanks  for 
your  kind  attention  in  order  that  you  may  have  it 
out.  For  the  subject  will  engage  your  powers 
worthily;  pursue  it,  and  it  will  take  you  into 
strange  places.  But  before  I  leave  you  to  do  so, 
may  I  ask  where  I  am  ?  " 

"  Bottom  o'  Sydenham  'ill,  sir,"  chimed  both 
constables  as  one. 

"  Good  morning,  my  friends.  I  must  leave  you 
to  ponder  this  subject  or  I  shall  not  get  home  to 
breakfast." 

The  two  myrmidons  of  the  law  stepped  together 
into  the  middle  of  the  road  to  watch  this  astonish- 
ing figure  ascend  out  of  their  ken. 

"  Well,  if  'e  don't  beat  all  as  ever  I  'card!  "  was 
the  comment  of  Z9. 

"  'E's  not  got  'er  off  yet,  and  'e  won't  nuther," 
rejoined  X012.  "She's  a  wrong  un;  an'  if  they 
let  'er  off,  it  won't  be  fair  to  peace." 

"  Well,  'e  can  talk.  'E  kind  of  got  'old  of  me. 
I  could  ha'  stood  there  all  day." 

"  'E  kind  o'  did  me  too,  but  I  should  shake  him 
off  in  court.  You'll  see  the  beak  will  put  a  muzzle 
on  'im.  He  warn't  talkin'  law,  and  you're  no  good 
in  court  unless  you  talk  law.  The  old  bloke  and 
them  K.  C.'s  will  not  stand  that  sort  o'  lip,  see  if 
they  does." 

"  Well,  'ere's  the  sergeant  comin'.  But  just  to 
show  there's  no  ill-feelin',  I'll  'ave  'arf  a  pint  with 
you,  mate,  that  'e  gets  her  off." 

"  Make  it  a  pint,  matey.  A  pint  seems  more 
legal." 


127 


XV 

truth's    champion 

NoRTHCOTE  had  only  a  hazy  notion  of  his  where- 
abouts. He  had  never  been  in  these  high  latitudes 
before.  He  had  a  dim  idea  that  London  lay  "  over 
there ;  "  but  upon  ascending  the  steep  hill  that  lay 
before  him,  he  found  that  "  over  there "  was 
merged  in  the  dark  and  enormous  bulk  of  the 
Crystal  Palace. 

"  Whitcomb  was  right  in  his  topography,"  he 
laughed.  "  This  is  the  route  he  predicted  I  should 
take;  therefore  it  is  a  perfectly  fair  inference  to 
regard  it  as  the  wrong  one." 

He  hailed  yet  another  minion  of  the  law,  who 
no  less  than  his  brethren  was  communicative. 

"  You  are  going  away  from  London  as  fast  as 
your  legs  will  take  you,"  said  Z201,  and  proceeded 
to  set  a  course  which  in  itself  was  so  intricate  that 
the  young  man  by  no  means  pledged  himself  to 
follow  it. 

The  terrific  central  energy  still  driving  him,  the 
wayfarer  strode  forth  through  the  rain  with  an 
undiminished  vigor.  By  now  his  clothes  were  sat- 
urated and  lay  upon  him  heavily.  But  nothing 
could  abate  the  force  of  these  concentrated  fires 
which  bore  him  so  lightly  mile  after  mile.  Not 
only  did  they  burn  with  splendor,  but  also  with  a 
vital  clarity.  His  lips  moved  with  the  phrases  that 
sprang  upon  them;    the  sense  of  dull  power,   of 

128 


TRUTH'S    CHAMPION 

unused  native  force,  which  had  oppressed  him  like 
a  nightmare  during  many  nights  and  days,  had 
been  fused  all  at  once  into  an  immense  fecundity 
of  expression.  Each  minute  blood-vessel  that 
formed  a  web  round  the  ball  of  crystallized  energy 
that  was  his  brain  was  big  with  its  own  peculiar, 
original,  and  special  idea.  The  strangest  vistas 
had  opened  before  his  eyes.  His  faculties  in  the 
first  flush  of  their  self -consciousness  had  grown 
insolent  and  overbearing. 

How  could  a  body  of  common  citizens  hope  to 
stand  against  the  battery  that  would  be  directed 
upon  them!  All  the  subtleties  of  the  sophists,  all 
the  enthusiasms  of  the  creeds  would  be  as  naught 
in  the  presence  of  such  an  overweening  personal 
force.  How  could  such  insignificant  fragments 
as  these,  the  mere  excrescences  of  the  universal 
scheme,  who  could  not  make  a  mind  among  them, 
hope  to  retain  the  all-too-precarious  standard  of 
their  probity  when  touched  by  the  wand  of  the 
magician?  He  laughed  aloud  to  the  rain  when  his 
thoughts  reverted  to  the  two  perplexed  constables 
he  had  left  at  the  bottom  of  Sydenham  Hill;  and 
how,  in  spite  of  the  tentativeness  of  the  effort,  as 
his  talent  had  mounted  in  him,  so  that  presently 
its  irresistible  force  had  seemed  even  to  surprise 
himself,  these  two  stolid,  unemotional  Englishmen 
had  nodded  their  heads  in  approval,  and  had  hung 
breathless  upon  his  words.  Only  one  of  God's 
great  advocates  could  hope  to  perform  that  miracle 
under  a  gas-lamp  in  the  wind-swept  streets  on  a 
wet  and  chill  winter's  morning.  The  old  mystics, 
delivering  with   a  divine  naivete  their   surprising 


129 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

message  to  mankind,  could  never  have  accom- 
plished a  feat  more  wonderful. 

His  eyes  veiled  in  darkness,  his  head  high-poised 
yet  thrust  forward,  his  mouth  and  nostrils  filled 
with  cold  and  deep  draughts  of  air,  his  whole  being 
was  surrendered  to  an  orgy  of  freedom  and  power. 
For  the  first  time  since  he  had  come  to  maturity 
he  had  found  an  occupation  for  his  ferocious 
energies.  It  was  no  unworthy  task  by  which  they 
were  confronted.  Thirty  was  usually  the  age  at 
which  genius  elected  to  give  to  the  world  its  first 
masterpiece.  And  was  it  not  as  seemly  that  an 
advocate  should  rejoice  in  a  theme  as  the  states- 
man, the  musician,  or  the  poet?  This  first  essay 
should  be  as  complete,  as  audacious,  and  as  worthy 
of  the  sanction  of  the  best  minds  of  the  time,  as 
the  chefs-d'ceuvres  of  other  representative  spirits. 
It  should  stand  as  a  landmark  in  an  art  as  little 
understood  as  that  of  truth  itself. 

Old  men  on  the  Woolsack,  the  most  reverend 
seigniors  of  the  law,  advocates  who  had  received 
the  homage  the  age  is  accustomed  to  lavish  on  a 
scanty  pretext,  should  stand  aghast  before  an 
alarming  iconoclasm  of  which  he  would  be  the 
pioneer.  His  ideas  should  prove  so  revolutionary 
that  these  practitioners,  complacently  drawing 
their  emoluments,  should  foregather  to  turn  this 
magnificent  ruffler  out  of  his  inn.  The  scathing 
criticisms  which  the  elect  of  all  ages  launch  against 
a  Jesus,  a  Galileo,  or  a  Wagner,  before  the  world 
has  grown  accustomed  to  their  strangeness,  he 
would  be  called  upon  to  support ;  for  would  not  he 
alone  be  the  true  advocate,  the  heaven-born,  im- 
mortal one,  while  they  would  remain,  as  always, 

130 


TRUTH'S    CHAMPION 

complacent  performers  of  tricks  which  they  mis- 
took for  the  operations  of  their  specific  talent,  sub- 
scribers to  conventions  that  were  shallow  and 
nonsensical  and  in  open  enmity  to  the  idea  of  jus- 
tice for  which  they  stood  as  the  self-satisfied 
expression. 

As  he  raced  along  in  the  company  of  these  won- 
derful thoughts  through  the  south  of  London,  he 
recognized  in  himself  all  the  signs  that  declare 
Truth's  authentic  champion.  It  would  be  his  to 
deliver  more  than  one  rueful  blow  upon  the  close- 
locked  portals  of  pedantry.  "  The  purblind  old 
man  who  dares  to  occupy  the  seat  of  judgment, 
his  authority  shall  be  traversed,  it  shall  be  rent  in 
pieces.  As  for  that  amazing  creature  who  will  dare 
to  stand  up  for  the  Crown,  who  will  propose  to 
do  to  death  a  human  being  with  that  bleak  and 
irascible  voice,  and  the  operations  of  that  arrested 
growth  he  calls  his  intellect,  an  awful  example  will 
have  to  be  made  of  him." 

There  was  no  end  to  the  succession  of  deserted 
streets.  Water  swam  in  shallow  pools  along  the 
black  pavements  which  seemed  to  reflect  the  color 
of  the  sky.  The  numerous  lamps,  picked  out  as 
so  many  dull,  yellow  balls  in  the  surrounding  black- 
ness, suffused  their  oppressive  rays  along  the  long, 
flat  surfaces  so  that  they  appeared  to  shine  without 
giving  forth  a  radiance. 

How  vague  and  vast  seemed  these  early  hours 
before  the  dawn!  They  did  not  contain  a  living 
soul.  The  sky,  the  streets,  the  dark  houses,  the 
bare  trees  in  the  gardens  and  at  the  sides  of  the 
roads  were  soundless,  empty,  destitute  of  life.  A 
quietness   so   profound   appeared   uncanny   on  the 

131 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

outskirts  of  pandemonium.  But  astonishing,  des- 
olating as  it  was,  it  seemed  to  aid  the  furious  brain 
that  was  borne  so  fast  in  its  midst.  There  was 
only  the  echo  of  the  advocate's  own  feet,  which 
came  weirdly  from  across  the  way,  and  the  high 
and  labored  breathing  of  his  own  body. 

By  the  time  the  hour  of  seven  chimed  out  from 
the  half-dozen  neighboring  steeples  of  a  population 
that  was  beginning  to  cluster  much  closer  together, 
he  divined  that  he  was  pressing  nearer  to  the  heart 
of  the  metropolis.  He  did  not  stay  to  inquire  of 
the  occasional  wayfarer  who  was  abroad  in  these 
regions,  but  set  his  face  into  the  ruck  of  the  streets, 
where  the  dark  forms  of  the  houses  rose  like  an 
impenetrable  and  endless  forest.  No  fears  assailed 
him  as  to  whether  he  would  reach  his  home  —  the 
coldest,  most  inhospitable  home  that  was  ever  called 
upon  to  harbor  a  spirit  with  such  widespread, 
space-cleaving  pinions. 

His  feet  seemed  to  devour  the  pavements.  His 
stride  was  great,  elastic,  and  unflagging;  it  was 
propelled  by  the  lungs,  heart,  and  muscles  of  the 
athlete.  In  the  swing  of  the  arms,  the  lunge  of 
the  limbs,  the  lissom  sway  of  the  body,  there  was 
fine  physical  power,  and  the  seething  engines  that 
presided  over  this  massive  yet  elastic  framework 
were  like  the  boilers  of  a  locomotive  which  eat  up 
the  miles  without  fatigue.  When  excited  into  ac- 
tion on  the  football  field  the  feeling  was  always 
upon  him  that  no  puny  human  agent  could  stay 
his  course.  The  feeling  was  upon  him  now  in  an 
intensified  degree.  With  will  and  muscle  cooper- 
ating to  overstride   the   darkness,   he   longed    for 


132 


TRUTH'S    CHAMPION 

opposition  to  declare  itself  that  he  might  trample 
it  down. 

Near  eight  o'clock  he  recognized  Waterloo 
Bridge  and  the  cold  Thames  below  stealing  like 
a  felon  through  the  vapors  of  the  dawn.  With 
a  stupefied  surprise  he  awoke  to  the  sensation  of 
being  launched  once  more  into  the  sharp  and  too- 
definite  business  of  the  time.  The  pavements 
were  now  swarming  with  people,  the  roads  with 
omnibuses,  cabs,  and  vans.  Traffic  was  belching 
out  of  every  street;  clerks  and  seamstresses  were 
scurrying  to  their  employments,  masticating  their 
breakfasts  as  they  went.  Vendors  of  newspapers 
and  hawkers  of  food  were  tearing  the  gray  air 
to  pieces  with  their  cries.  He  emerged  from  the 
orgy  of  his  passion  to  find  that  he  was  up  to  the 
throat  and  being  stifled  in  pandemonium,  even  be- 
fore he  was  aware  that  his  feet  had  entered  it. 

The  lines  of  palaces  across  the  river,  towering 
tier  upon  tier  above  the  embankment,  with  their 
majestic  bulks  half -thrust  through  the  curtain  of 
December  mist  which  the  first  streaks  of  day  had 
seemed  to  thicken,  fell  upon  the  imagination  of  the 
wayfarer,  who  had  slackened  his  pace  all  at  once 
to  a  footsore  limp  as  he  crossed  the  bridge  and 
crept  towards  them.  At  a  distance  they  stood  in- 
solent, aloof,  and  cynical.  He  could  hardly  be- 
lieve that  in  one  of  these  wonderful  caravanserais 
he,  the  starving,  the  friendless,  and  the  solitary, 
had  eaten  and  drunk  only  a  few  hours  before.  It 
was  not  feasible  that  such  palaces  as  these  could 
touch  a  life  so  obscure  at  any  point.  Penniless, 
friendless,  lacking  even  life's  common  necessaries, 
in  the  midst  of  six  millions  of  people,  who  con- 

133 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

tended  rudely  with  the  first  weapons  that  came  to 
their  hands  to  enforce  their  claims,  how  could  he, 
whose  coat  was  in  holes,  whose  pockets  were  empty, 
have  penetrated  to  the  Mecca  of  their  gods? 

Limping  into  the  Strand  as  the  clock  at  the  Law 
Courts  chimed  the  hour  of  eight,  his  imagination 
was  assailed,  not  with  their  unmeaning  mass  of 
architecture,  but  with  that  unseen  and  grisly  bulk 
which  only  the  eye  of  his  inner  consciousness 
could  apprehend.  A  shudder  convulsed  his  veins. 
Less  than  thirty  short  hours  hence  the  gladiator 
would  be  called  into  the  arena.  He  would  have 
to  face  the  lions  with  no  defence  for  his  nakedness 
except  a  small  shield  in  the  use  of  which  he  had 
had  no  practice,  and  a  sharp  but  untried  spear. 

Climbing  up  the  steep  stairs  to  his  garret,  his 
nostrils  were  affronted  as  they  had  been  on  so  many 
other  occasions  by  the  foulness  of  the  heavy  and 
noisome  air.  What  a  labor  it  was  to  reach  the 
locked  door  at  the  top  of  the  highest,  the  darkest, 
the  most  unpleasant  story!  His  fibres  had  grown 
strangely  slack,  his  breathing  was  no  longer  joy- 
ous and  free.  The  mighty  engines  of  his  mind 
had  ceased  suddenly  to  vibrate;  those  pulses  which 
had  been  so  overweening  in  their  insolence  could 
only  flutter  now.  He  had  fallen  without  a  warn- 
ing from  his  eminence.  His  whole  being  was  en- 
veloped in  a  despicable  flaccidity,  a  despicable 
weakness,  as  he  turned  the  key  in  the  lock  and 
entered  his  garret. 

He  recoiled  from  the  dismal  scene  that  met  his 
eyes  with  the  shudder  that  one  gives  in  plunging 
into  icy  water.  As  he  stood  on  the  threshold  all 
the  phantoms  of  his  previous  despair  sprang  upon 

134 


TRUTH'S    CHAMPION 

him  from  the  walls  of  his  chamber  and  seemed  to 
throw  him  down.  There  was  the  cold  grate  with 
the  gray  ashes  in  it  still;  there  the  lamp  that  had 
left  him  in  the  darkness.  The  table  was  there 
with  its  pile  of  law-books  that  he  had  conned  with 
the  sickening  patience  which  tortured  him  so 
keenly.  Strewn  over  them  were  fragments  of  the 
writings  which  had  eaten  away  the  flower  of  his 
intelligence  without  bringing  him  a  shilling  to  fill 
his  belly  or  to  pay  his  rent.  Enveloped  within  them 
was  the  piece  of  lead  by  whose  aid  and  with  a 
skill  so  ferocious  he  had  destroyed  the  rat.  The 
confectioner's  paper  was  there  that  had  contained 
his  dinner;  also  the  crumbs  which  remained  to 
testify  to  its  nature.  On  the  mantelpiece  was  the 
burned  and  dirty  old  pipe  which  he  had  cherished 
so  much,  the  only  friend  of  his  adversity;  on  the 
floor  was  the  pouch  that  had  not  a  grain  of  tobacco 
in  it.  The  pool  of  water  was  still  in  the  corner, 
underneath  the  discoloration  of  the  plaster  in  the 
low  sloping  roof. 

How  cold  it  was!  Everything  in  this  horrible 
apartment  seemed  to  be  rendered  icier,  more  dismal, 
by  the  callous  gray  beams  that  stole  through  the 
grimy  windows  with  a  sullenness  that  hardly  mer- 
ited the  name  of. light.  Ah,  that  window  with  its 
outlook  on  oblivion !  It  all  came  back  to  him  with 
the  indescribable  pangs  of  the  knife,  that  the  night 
before  he  had  leaned  out  of  it,  bareheaded,  open- 
mouthed,  his  eyes  and  nostrils  cut  by  blasts  of  sleet, 
and  had  cried  his  haughty  challenge  to  a  world 
that  grovelled  so  far  below  him  in  the  mire. 

It  was  all  very  hideous,  yet  this  Titanic  despair 
filled  him  with  a  deep  sense  of  poetry.    He  realized, 

^35 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

even  as  he  stood  now  confronting  it  for  the  thou- 
sand and  first  time,  that  whatever  the  future  might 
hold  in  her  womb,  never  again  would  he  be  pierced 
to  these  depths  whose  very  immensity  urged  the 
proud  rage  to  his  eyes.  Yes,  there  in  the  cynical 
eyes  of  the  morning  lay  the  stained  and  battered 
old  table  to  which  the  previous  evening  he  had 
pressed  his  eyes  to  summon  the  genie.  What  tor- 
ments of  impotence,  of  baffled  and  thwarted  power, 
must  those  eyes  have  undergone  before  they  could 
prevail  upon  their  royalty  to  stoop  to  such  an 
act. 

He  took  from  his  pocket  the  bank-note,  half  his 
fee,  which  the  solicitor  had  given  him  at  the  res- 
taurant, and  held  it  up  to  a  gaze  that  was  as  scorn- 
ful as  that  of  a  young  god  who  has  not  yet  learned 
to  accept  as  a  matter  of  course  the  powers  that 
render  him  immortal. 

Not  again  would  he  suffer  want.  He  had  made 
his  choice.  In  a  tragic  moment  his  faintness  had 
forced  him  to  his  knees.  He  had  summoned  the 
mischievous  imp  who  showers  gold  upon  poor  mor- 
tals in  order  that  it  shall  stultify,  poison,  and  cor- 
rupt them.  Already  he  could  taste  success.  There 
was  a  faint  aroma  of  it  in  the  dregs  of  the  wine 
he  had  drained  the  previous  night.  There  was  a 
slight  nausea  upon  his  lips.  There  had  been  some- 
thing beyond  mere  fatigue  in  the  enervation  with 
which  he  had  climbed  those  stairs.  For  once  the 
great  muscles  had  seemed  to  flag.  Yet  not  again 
would  they  know  the  chastening  brutality  of  want. 
Indeed  his  despair  already  was  beginning  to  seem 
a  holy  and  pure  condition.  He  foresaw,  as  he 
stood  gazing  upon  its  pinched  face,  crinkling  as  he 

136 


TRUTH'S   CHAMPION 

did  so  the  bank-note  between  his  hands,  that  the 
future  would  be  casting  back  to  it  perpetually  as 
the  tomb  of  his  godhead,  in  which  he  put  off  those 
spiritual  splendors  in  which  his  nature  was  once 
enveloped,  those  sanctified  things  which  were  native 
to  himself,  in  order  that  he  might  embrace  those 
other  things  that  were  the  birthright  and  the  meas- 
ure of  the  meanest  natures. 

Through  the  open  door  came  the  sound  of  foot- 
steps on  the  stairs.  They  were  shuffling  and  un- 
certain, and  belonged  to  an  old  woman,  who  wore 
a  shawl  and  a  faded  black  bonnet,  and  who  crept 
into  the  room  with  little  toddling  steps. 

"  Hullo,  Mrs.  Brown,"  said  Northcote,  turning 
to  confront  her ;  "  rather  late,  aren't  you  ?  It  is 
a  quarter-past  eight." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  am,"  said  the  old  woman,  in  a  pre- 
cise manner.     "  My  youngest  grandchild  is  dying." 

"How  old?" 

"  Five  and  a  half,  sir." 

"  Of  what  is  she  dying?  " 

"  Diphtheria,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman  humbly. 

"  And  if  the  poor  little  kid  dies  that  will  reduce 
the  number  of  small  orphans  in  your  family  to  four, 
will  it  not?" 

"  It  will,  sir." 

Northcote  stood  looking  at  the  old  woman  for 
a  moment  and  then  changed  the  subject  abruptly. 

"  Mrs.  Brown,"  he  said,  "  I  have  had  a  wind- 
fall. For  the  time  being  I  am  a  rich  man;  and  I 
may  say  that  one  of  these  days  I  expect  to  be  very 
much  richer.  And  although  your  poor  little  grand- 
child is  dying,  I  think  we  owe  it  to  Providence 
to    celebrate    this    occasion    in    a    fitting    manner. 

137 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Never  mind  about  the  fire  and  the  water  for  my 
bath.  I  want  you  to  get  a  basket  and  do  some 
shopping,  somewhat  as  follows:  one  frying-pan, 
one  pound  of  the  choicest  Wiltshire  bacon,  three 
moderately  fresh  eggs  if  money  will  buy  them, 
which  I  expect  it  will  not,  one  pot  of  marmalade, 
one  pound  of  the  most  expensive  butter  and  a  loaf 
of  bread,  a  pound  of  tea,  price  half  a  crown,  and 
a  pint  of  milk.  Now  get  along,  if  you  please,  and 
I  will  light  the  fire." 

The  blank  stupefaction  on  the  face  of  Mrs. 
Brown  conveyed  to  Northcote  that  he  had  for- 
gotten to  give  her  the  money. 

''  I  am  so  unaccustomed  to  have  the  handling  of 
money,"  he  said,  ''  that  I  have  forgotten  to  give 
it  to  you.  This  is  a  note  for  ten  pounds.  See  that 
no  one  robs  you  of  the  change." 

The  stupefaction  on  the  face  of  the  old  woman 
appeared  to  deepen  as  her  fingers  closed  over  this 
unheard-of  treasure. 

*'  I  —  I  don't  know  that  I  dare  trust  myself  with 
it,  sir,  along  the  Strand,"  she  said  weakly. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Northcote.  "  Just  make  the 
fire  —  a  real  good  one,  mind,  and  you  can  use  all 
the  coal  that  is  laid  by,  because  at  one  fell  swoop 
I  am  going  to  order  a  ton  —  and  I  will  do  the  shop- 
ping myself.  Where  is  that  big  basket  in  which 
you  bring  home  the  washing?" 

"  Here,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman,  passing  behind 
a  curtain  at  the  far  end  of  the  room  which  concealed 
a  bed. 

"  Good,"  said  Northcote.  **  Providence  is  work- 
ing for  us.     It  intends  that  we  shall  do  ourselves 

138 


TRUTH'S    CHAMPION 

well.     And  my  last  words  to  you  are,  don't  spare 
the  coal." 

"  I  will  not,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman,  discarding 
her  air  of  stupefaction  in  favor  of  her  habitual 
preciseness. 


h 


139 


XVI 

A   JURY   OF   ONE 

When  Northcote  returned  with  the  basket  heav- 
ily laden  in  one  hand,  and  a  frying-pan,  aggres- 
sively new,  in  the  other,  his  dismal  chamber  had 
already  been  transformed,  for  a  fire  was  burning 
bravely,  a  kettle  was  singing  upon  it,  the  pool  of 
water  in  the  corner  had  been  mopped  up,  the  floor 
had  been  visited  with  a  brush,  and  books  and  papers, 
two  tables,  and  three  chairs  had  received  whole- 
some discipline  from  a  duster. 

"  I  could  have  done  it  all  as  well  myself,"  said 
Northcote,  surveying  this  transformation  with  grim 
eyes,  ^'  although  I  do  not  deny  it  has  the  efficient 
professional  touch.  But  I  would  have  you  to  know 
I  am  a  man  of  my  hands.  I  am  also  a  man  of 
affairs.  I  have  purchased  extensively;  and  I  am 
proud  to  say  the  best  goods  in  the  cheapest  markets. 
I  have  ordered  a  ton  of  coal,  although  where  we 
are  going  to  put  it  I  don't  quite  know.  Now,  these 
things  I  surrender  to  your  care;  and  in  half  an 
hour  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  serve  up  a  royal 
breakfast  for  two  persons.  In  the  meantime  I  will 
have  a  shave  and  a  tub." 

The  young  man's  operations  behind  the  curtain 
were  conducted  on  an  extensive  scale,  to  judge  by 
the  noise  and  splashing  that  accompanied  them. 
Yet  presently  he  emerged  with  a  well-scraped  chin, 
a  skin  glowing  with  cleanliness,  his  ragged  mass 

140 


A    JURY   OF   ONE 

of  hair  reduced  to  a  semblance  of  order,  and  his 
person  arrayed  in  an  extremely  shabby  and  unfash- 
ionable but  perfectly  dry  suit  of  clothes.  The  tea 
was  at  hand  to  be  made,  the  pot  heated,  the  eggs, 
bacon,  and  toast  were  delightfully  warm  and  laid 
before  the  fire.  And  in  accordance  with  instruc- 
tions the  table  was  set  for  two  persons,  with  the 
blunt  knives  and  forks  and  the  decrepit  crockery 
of  his  establishment. 

"  Will  you  wait  till  the  other  gentleman  comes, 
sir  ?  ''  asked  the  old  woman. 

''What  other  gentleman,  Mrs.  Brown?" 

*'  The  gentleman  who  is  coming  to  breakfast." 

"  Well,  I  can't  very  well,  seeing  that  she  turns 
out  to  be  a  lady." 

*'  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir." 

*'  You,  Mrs.  Brown,  are  that  lady.  You  will 
please  sit  just  there,  as  near  to  the  fire  as  you  can 
get  without  burning  yourself.  I  propose  to  make 
the  tea,  for  I  am  so  expert  in  the  art  that  I  yield 
to  none.  And  I  shall  ask  you  to  pour  it  out,  while 
I  proceed  to  serve  the  eggs  and  bacon,  which  look 
perfectly  delicious." 

The  charwoman,  however,  betrayed  no  sign  of 
assenting  to  this  arrangement. 

"  I  am  sure,  sir,  it  is  meant  in  great  kindness," 
she  said  humbly,  "  but  I  could  not  think  of  such 
a  thing.  You  see  I  have  been  in  good  service,  sir, 
and  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  it  is  never  done." 

"  *  Never '  is  a  dangerous  word  to  employ,  Mrs. 
Brown,"  said  Northcote,  towering  over  the  old 
woman  in  a  formidable  manner.  "  In  fact,  I  allow 
none  to  employ  it  to  me.  Sit  down,  if  you  please, 
and  pour  out  the  tea,  and  just  have  the  goodness  to 

141 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

imagine  yourself  the  Lady  Elizabeth  Who-was-it, 
famous  alike  for  her  breeding  and  her  beauty,  while 
I  shall  endeavor  to  consider  myself  that  distin- 
guished nobleman,  the  Earl  of  What's-his-name." 

"  The  Lady  Elizabeth  Plumptre,  sir,  and  the  Earl 
of  Widmerpool." 

"  Very  well.  Now  I  say,  *  Betty,  my  gal,  have 
an  egg  with  your  bacon  ? '  and  you  reply  with  a 
quiet  ease  and  distinction  of  manner,  '  Yes,  papa, 
if  you  please.'  Now  then,  down  you  get  into  your 
chair,  and  spare  me  the  necessity  of  arguing  the 
point.  I  am  so  apt  to  lose  my  temper  if  I  argue 
the  point." 

The  old  woman,  who  was  too  much  in  fear  of 
him  to  risk  anything  of  the  kind,  took  her  place 
at  the  table  immediately. 

"  One  of  these  days,"  said  Northcote,  handing 
her  an  egg  and  some  bacon  on  the  only  plate  that 
did  not  happen  to  be  cracked,  ''  I  should  like  you 
to  meet  my  mother.  She  is  a  very  notable  and  good 
woman,  with  a  remarkably  resolute  conception  of 
her  duty,  which  all  her  life  she  has  rendered  bluntly 
and  directly  without  ever  speaking  of  it  to  a  human 
soul.  She  has  ordered  her  life  in  the  manner  that 
she  deems  necessary  to  the  role  of  an  eminent  Chris- 
tian. She  has  brought  up  her  only  son  in  simple 
and  pious  resolves,  educated  him  quite  beyond  her 
means,  has  found  him  money  when  in  order  to  do 
so  she  has  been  compelled  to  deny  herself  life's 
common  necessaries,  yet  has  asked  alms  of  none, 
and  at  Christmas  time  never  omits  to  dispense  char- 
ity to  others." 

**  I  should  like  to  see  your  mother,  sir,"  said  the 
charwoman,  folding  her  hands  meekly  and  sitting 

142 


A    JURY    OF    ONE 

very  upright  on  her  chair.  "  I  am  sure  she  is  a 
very  good  lady." 

"  One  of  those  noble  narrow  women,  Mrs. 
Brown,  upon  whom  life  bears  down  so  heavily. 
Yet  she  carries  out  her  programme  with  a  great- 
ness of  spirit  which  is  almost  demoralizing  to  one 
who  tries  to  look  at  things  as  they  are.  I  don't 
know  what  there  is  in  her  life  that  carries  her  on 
so  victoriously;  for  one  never  hears  her  utter  a 
complaint  against  the  buffets  she  has  received  from 
fate,  or  against  the  restrictions  that  her  dismal  sur- 
roundings impose  on  her  nature.  I  have  never 
heard  an  impatient  word  upon  her  lips,  yet  every 
morning,  summer  and  winter,  she  rises  at  the  hour 
of  five,  performs  those  domestic  functions  that  can 
bring  no  satisfaction  to  her,  and  presently  goes 
forth  to  labors  still  more  arduous  and  equally  de- 
void of  meaning.  What  there  is  to  carry  her  on 
I  don't  know.  Why  that  inflexible  spirit  has  not 
been  broken  these  many  years  I  cannot  conjecture." 

"  She  has  got  into  the  habit  of  going  on,  sir, 
I  suppose,"  said  the  charwoman. 

"  The  habit  must  be  a  very  strange  one,  Mrs. 
Brown,  when  to-morrow  is  always  the  same  as 
yesterday." 

"  It  is  like  being  a  clock,  sir,  which  goes  on 
because  it  has  been  wound  up." 

"  Yes,  but  I  never  found  a  clock  that  could  wind 
up  itself.  Every  clock  must  have  some  kind  of 
a  key." 

"  It  is  God,  sir,  who  is  the  key,"  said  the  char- 
woman. 

"  That  throws  us  back,"  said  Northcote,  "  to  our 
original  necessity  to  have  a  religion.    To  my  mind, 

143 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Mrs.  Brown,  you  have  indicated  that  need  in  a  very 
lucid  and  practical  manner.  And  how,  Mrs.  Brown, 
as  you  appear  to  have  given  some  thought  to  these 
things,  do  you  suppose  this  reticent  mother  of  mine 
views  this  God  who  holds  the  key  to  the  watch, 
who  winds  it  up  and  keeps  it  going?  How  would 
you  say  she  regards  Him  personally?" 

"  Perhaps  she  doesn't  think  about  Him  much, 
sir.  Perhaps  as  a  girl  she  troubled  her  head  about 
Him  a  bit ;  but  when  she  got  older  and  had  to  take 
heavy  burdens  on  her  shoulders,  she  was  always  too 
tired  to  think  of  Him,  except  when  she  said  her 
prayers." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  have  been  times  when  in 
her  great  fatigue  she  has  fallen  asleep  while  she 
has  been  in  the  act  of  saying  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  suppose  there  may  have  been,"  said 
the  old  woman. 

**  So,  then,  you  would  say  there  is  nothing  defi- 
nite, forceful,  all-compelling  about  this  God  of 
hers?  You  would  say  He  had  no  particular  per- 
sonality to  speak  of?" 

"  Perhaps  He  is  very  real  to  her,  sir,  just  as  to 
the  watch  the  key  must  be  very  real  that  winds 
it  up  and  keeps  it  going." 

"  I  suppose,  Mrs.  Brown,  you  have  never  by  any 
lucky  chance  arrived  at  the  reason  why  He  does 
wind  you  up  and  keep  you  going?  Yet  surely  you 
have  asked  yourself  the  question  why  it  is  neces- 
sary that  you  should  be  wound  up  and  kept  going." 

"  I  may  have  done,  sir,  now  and  again.  But 
then  it  has  been  a  wicked  thought." 

"  It  is  an  intensely  natural  thought,  and  the  wick- 
edness of  sheer  undraped  nature  is  one  of  those 

144 


A    JURY    OF    ONE 

hard  doctrines  I  have  never  been  able  to  accept. 
When  in  the  depth  of  winter  you  have  laid  an  old 
skirt  on  your  bed  because  you  did  not  happen  to 
possess  an  extra  blanket,  and  you  have  crept  with 
your  shivering  limbs  into  the  cold  sheets,  I  suppose 
you  have  asked  yourself  occasionally  why  you  who 
do  not  even  perform  the  humble  functions  of  a 
clock,  since  you  keep  no  time,  should  yet  be  wound 
up  and  set  going,  when,  as  a  matter  of  choice,  you 
would  prefer  to  remain  in  bed  in  the  morning  and 
be  allowed  to  sleep  on  forever?" 

"  There  are  my  five  little  grandchildren,  sir,  who 
have  no  mother  or  father." 

"  They  would  go  to  the  workhouse ;  and  the 
state  would  transform  them  into  honorable,  capa- 
ble, and  industrious  citizens  with  even  greater  effi- 
ciency than  you  would  yourself." 

"  The  workhouse,  sir,  is  a  very  disgraceful  thing 
for  a  respectable  family." 

"  Ah,  you  impale  me  on  another  spike  of  your 
religion.  Its  points  are  fixed  at  a  sharper  angle 
than  you  are  willing  to  allow.  For  I  would  ask 
you,  is  it  not  enough  to  enrich  the  state  with  five 
healthy  and  able-bodied  citizens  without  being 
called  upon  to  maintain  them  at  one's  own  ex- 
pense ?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman, 
"  but  when  you  have  children  of  your  own  you 
may  not  say  so." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  that  you  are  right.  By  exercis- 
ing as  keenly  as  possible  the  very  inadequate  num- 
ber of  wits  with  which  nature  has  seen  fit  to  arm 
me,  I  am  able  to  discern  that  the  more  reasonable 
we  become  the  less  do  we  order  our  conduct  by  the 

145 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

light  of  reason.  As  you  suggest,  it  is  extremely 
probable  when  I  become  a  father,  if  I  am  ever  called 
to  that  beatitude,  I  shall  rise  every  morning  from 
my  bed  to  prevent  my  children  going  to  the  work- 
house, however  strenuously  reason  may  urge  that 
the  workhouse  is  their  natural  and  appointed  home. 
And  assuming,  Mrs.  Brown,  that  I  am  not  marked 
out  for  the  honor  of  paternity,  that  crowning 
achievement  of  every  citizen,  why  then  should  I 
rise  from  my  bed  —  that  is,  assuming  that  I  regard 
the  person  who  presumes  to  wind  up  the  watch  to  be 
a  meddlesome  busybody,  a  bore,  and  a  nuisance  ?  " 

*'  If  you  work  very  hard,  sir,  you  will  have  no 
time  to  think  such  thoughts,"  said  the  old  woman. 

"  It  is,  I  suppose,  the  satisfaction  of  depriving 
yourself  of  the  opportunities  of  thinking  such 
thoughts  that  brings  you  here  every  morning  of 
the  year  at  a  quarter  to  eight  to  tidy  up  the  garret 
of  a  starving  materialist  who  is  bleeding  to  death 
of  his  ideals?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  you  might  say  partly  that  and  partly 
to  help  to  bring  up  my  grandchildren." 

"  Well,  my  good  woman,  if  it  is  partly  to  bring 
up  your  grandbhildren,  why,  may  I  ask,  do  you 
continue  to  toil  on  behalf  of  this  person,  when  for 
two  months  past  he  has  paid  you  no  wage,  and 
may  I  ask  also  why  have  you  lent  him  sums  of 
money,  when  you  must  have  been  aware  that  it 
was  in  the  highest  degree  unlikely  that  it  would 
ever  be  paid  to  you  again  ?  " 

"  I  have  had  no  time  to  think  about  it  like  that, 
sir." 

"  That  is  not  a  very  strong  answer,  Mrs.  Brown. 

146 


A    JURY   OF   ONE 

I  felt  sure  I  should  be  able  before  long  to  impale 
this  religion  of  yours  upon  a  paradox.  And  I  sup- 
pose that  when  you  put  this  shrivelled  old  hand 
that  I  am  holding  into  that  ridiculous  old  dogskin 
purse  of  yours,  which  must  have  been  an  heirloom 
in  your  family  in  the  year  one,  you  had  not  time  to 
reflect  that  you  were  robbing  your  poor  little  grand- 
children? You  had  not  time  to  reflect  that  the 
twenty-five  shillings  which  you  lent  a  weak-natured, 
self-indulgent  sentimentalist  in  order  that  he  might 
not  be  turned  out  into  the  street  would  keep  them 
in  boots  for  a  year?  " 

"  I  don't  say  I  had  not  time  to  think  about  it, 
sir,  but  I  could  never  have  seen  you  turned  out  into 
the  street  without  a  roof  above  your  head." 

"  Why  could  you  not,  Mrs.  Brown  ?  It  was  no 
part  of  your  duties  to  provide  a  home  for  a  stalwart 
and  able-bodied  young  man  who  was  living  in  idle- 
ness, when  you  had  your  five  little  orphan  grand- 
children to  consider." 

"  I  did  not  look  at  it  in  that  light,  sir." 

"  Surely  it  was  very  wrong  of  you  to  fail  to 
do  so.  One  would  think  a  reasonable,  right-minded 
person  would  hardly  need  to  have  it  pointed  out." 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman  nervously,  "  I 
beg  your  pardon,  I'm  sure;  but  even  if  I  had  seen 
it  in  that  way  I  might  not  have  acted  upon  it." 

"  Then  I  grieve  to  say,  Mrs.  Brown,  that  you 
appear  to  have  no  very  exact  standard  of  probity." 

"I  —  I  —  I'm  sure,  sir,  I  always  try  to  do  what 
is  right." 

The  charwoman  had  become  the  prey  of  a  deep 
confusion. 

"  But,"  said  Northcote,  sternly,  "  I  have  just  had 
147 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

your  own  assurance  that  you  do  not.  You  would 
not,  it  seems,  scruple  to  rob  your  poor  grandchil- 
dren to  gratify  a  whim ;  indeed,  it  may  be  said  you 
have  robbed  them  to  gratify  one.  If  I  had  to  pros- 
ecute you  before  a  jury  of  twelve  of  your  honest 
countrymen,  I  could  easily  get  you  put  into  prison." 

"  Well,  sir,''  said  the  old  charwoman,  beginning 
to  tremble  violently  before  this  grim  realism,  "I  — 
I  am  sure  I  have  always  tried  to  do  my  duty." 

"  On  the  contrary,  Mrs.  Brown,  you  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  have  a  conception  of  what  is  your  duty. 
At  least  the  best  that  can  be  said  for  that  conception 
is  that  it  is  arbitrary,  perverse,  contradictory.  Ex- 
pedience is  the  only  duty  known  to  the  laws  which 
regulate  all  forms  of  nature.  The  man  called 
Jesus,  the  chief  exponent  of  the  contrary  doctrine 
which  appears  to  have  had  some  kind  of  attraction 
for  you,  received  a  somewhat  severe  handling  when 
He  ventured  to  show  Himself  upon  the  platform; 
and  you  who  in  your  dumb  and  vague  and  inverte- 
brate manner  have  been  seeking  to  imitate  Him  in 
one  or  two  minor  particulars,  owe  it  to  the  gener- 
ous forbearance  of  the  recipient  of  your  charity  that 
you  do  not  find  yourself  in  prison.  If  the  Crown 
in  its  expansive  vindictiveness  were  to  instruct  me 
to  prosecute  you  in  what  it  is  pleased  to  call  '  a 
court  of  justice,'  woe  would  betide  you." 

The  old  woman  grew  as  pale  as  ashes  when  con- 
fronted with  the  stern  eyes  of  this  advocate  who 
turned  white  into  black  so  easily. 

"  Why  —  why,  sir,"  she  stammered,  "  you  — 
you  will  make  me  think  I  have  committed  a  murder 
if  you  go  on !  " 

"  I  think  I  might  do  that  without  much  diffi- 
148 


A    JURY    OF    ONE 

culty.  It  would  be  quite  simple  to  indicate  to  you 
in  a  very  few  words  in  what  manner  the  Almighty 
has  already  seen  fit  to  mark  the  sense  of  His  per- 
sonal displeasure.  Is  it  not  your  own  conduct,  do 
you  not  suppose,  which  has  provoked  Him  to  strike 
down  your  innocent  little  grandchild  with  diph- 
theria? And  if  the  child  dies,  which  we  will  pray 
it  will  not,  what  would  be  easier  than  to  render  you 
responsible  for  its  death  ?  You  see  that  is  the  worst 
of  evil,  it  is  so  cumulative  in  its  effect.  Once  it  has 
begun  its  dread  courses,  who  shall  predict  their 
end?  A  good  action  is  self-contained  and  stops 
where  it  began;  a  bad  one  fructifies  with  immortal 
seed  and  practically  goes  on  for  ever  —  vide  the 
poet  Shakespeare.  Why,  you  are  eating  nothing. 
I  am  afraid  I  am  spoiling  your  breakfast." 

*'  Oh,  sir,  I  didn't  know  I  was  so  wicked,"  said 
the  charwoman,  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  Opinions  are  easily  formed.  As  for  reputa- 
tions, they  can  be  made  and  unmade  and  made 
again  in  an  hour.  But  might  I  suggest,  Mrs. 
Brown,  that  if  one  happens  to  be  righteous  in  one's 
own  eyes,  it  does  not  very  greatly  matter  if  one 
goes  to  jail  to  expiate  so  pious  an  opinion.  Do  I 
make  myself   clear?" 

"I  —  I  don't  say  I  am  good,  sir,  but  —  I  hope  I 
am  not  a  downright  bad  one." 

"  Well,  to  relieve  your  feelings,  we  will  take  it 
that  you  are  a  nebulous  half-and-half  and  somewhat 
unsatisfactory  sort  of  person  who  blindly  follows  a 
bundle  of  instincts  she  knows  less  than  nothing 
about,  just  like  a  dog  or  a  cat  or  a  rabbit.  And  is 
not  that  what  this  elaborate  moral  code  of  ours 
throws  back  to  if  we  take  the  trouble  to  examine  it? 

149 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

And  is  not  one  entitled  to  say  that  a  dog  is  a  good 
dog,  a  cat  a  good  cat,  a  rabbit  a  good  rabbit,  just 
as  faithfully  as  it  follows  the  instincts  under  its 
fur,  whatever  they  happen  to  be  ?  I  have  taken  this 
excursus,  Mrs.  Brown,  and  have  ventured  to  theo- 
rize a  little,  quite  unprofitably,  I  grant,  and  at  the 
risk  of  causing  you  some  ill-founded  alarm,  because 
to-morrow  I  have  to  exercise  all  the  talents  with 
which  the  good  God  has  endowed  me  in  the  cause 
of  an  extremely  wicked  woman  who  has  committed 
a  murder.  Her  crime  is  of  a  vulgar  and  calculating 
kind,  perpetrated  in  cold  blood;  there  is  not  a  rag 
of  evidence  to  save  her  from  the  gallows;  but 
Providence  has  called  upon  me  to  attempt  to  save 
her  from  the  fate  she  so  richly  merits.  And  there 
is  an  instinct  within  me,  her  advocate,  for  which  I 
am  at  a  loss  to  account  by  the  rules  of  reason  and 
logic,  which  calls  on  its  possessor  to  save  this 
abandoned  creature  at  all  hazard.  If  I  obey  that 
instinct  I  shall  be  a  good  advocate  and  a  bad  citi- 
zen; if  I  disobey  it  I  shall  be  a  good  citizen  but  a 
bad  advocate.  Yet  if  I  obey  it  I  shall  have  fulfilled 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  the  legal  contract  into 
which  I  have  entered,  and  in  so  doing  I  shall  be 
called  on  to  commit  a  serious  misdemeanor  against 
human  nature.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I  disobey  it 
I  shall  be  causing  human  nature  to  be  vindicated  in 
a  becoming  manner,  yet  shall  be  guilty  of  an  equally 
serious  misdemeanor  against  myself;  and  further, 
I  shall  be  false  to  the  interests  of  my  unfortunate 
client  whose  money  I  have  taken,  and  render  my- 
self indictable  for  the  offence  of  entering  into  a  con- 
tract which  I  have  wilfully  refrained  from  carrying 


ISO 


A    JURY   OF   ONE 

out.  Please  have  another  cup  of  tea,  and  kindly 
pass  the  marmalade." 

Northcote  having  shifted  the  ground  of  his 
reasoning  from  the  personal  to  the  abstract,  the 
old  woman  regained  sufficient  confidence  to  pour 
out  the  tea  without  spilling  it. 

"  Now,"  said  Northcote,  "  if  you  were  in  my 
position,  would  you  try  to  enable  one  whom  you 
knew  to  be  a  murderess  to  escape  the  gallows?  " 

"  If  I  might  say  so,  sir,  I  would  try  to  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  her  at  all." 

"  In  other  words,  you  would  rather  starve  than 
take  her  money  ?  " 

''  Yes,  sir,  I  think  I  would." 

"  And  cause  you  to  rob  your  poor  little  grand- 
children?" 

"  I  —  I  —  don't  say  that,  sir." 

"  Let  us  be  as  logical  as  we  can.  Again,  would 
it  not  cause  me  to  rob  my  poor  old  mother  who  has 
contributed  her  all  towards  my  education,  which  I 
put  to  no  useful  end?" 

"  You  would  be  honest,  sir." 

"  Honest,  do  you  say !  Do  you  call  it  honest  to 
pervert  and  misapply  the  money  my  mother  has 
lavished  on  my  education?" 

"  Might  you  not  use  your  education,  sir,  in  some 
other  way?  " 

"  You  would  have  me  till  the  fields  or  be  a  clerk 
in  an  insurance  office.  Would  that  be  honest  in  the 
sight  of  God,  who  has  placed  an  instinct  in  me 
which  I  disobey?  Surely  one  would  say  the  truly 
dishonest  man  is  he  who  is  unfaithful  to  his  nature. 
Had  we  not  agreed  upon  that?  If  a  man  knows 
that  he  was  designed  by  God  to  be  an  advocate,  is 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

he  not  called  to  practise?  Why  have  the  gift  to 
prove  that  white  is  black  and  black  is  white  if  that 
gift  is  not  to  be  carried  to  its  appointed  issue?  If 
I  do  not  barter  it  for  a  means  of  livelihood  by  prov- 
ing the  guilty  to  be  innocent,  how  am  I  to  discharge 
the  higher  function  of  proving  the  innocent  to  be 
not  guilty?  If,  in  my  cowardice,  I  decline  to  go 
into  court  lest  I  save  those  who  ought  not  to  be 
saved,  think  of  the  innocent  persons  who  will  perish 
for  the  lack  of  a  true  advocate." 

"  If  we  could  only  get  to  the  real  intention,  sir," 
said  the  charwoman  solemnly,  "  of  Him  who  winds 
up  the  watch  and  who  is  Himself  the  key,  perhaps 
these  things  might  not  worry  us.  But  God  moves 
in  a  mysterious  way.  His  wonders  to  perform." 

"  Yes,"  said  Northcote,  rising  from  the  break- 
fast-table, "  there  we  have  the  fruit  of  all  that  our 
curiosity  can  yield  to  us.  The  power  may  be  given 
to  us  to  show  that  blue  is  green,  but  what  does  it 
stand  for  in  the  presence  of  the  dread  materialism 
of  our  religions  ?  " 

The  advocate  took  three  sovereigns  from  his 
pocket,  three  sovereigns  which  he  had  yet  to  earn, 
and  placed  them  in  the  palm  of  the  old  charwoman. 

"  Mrs.  Brown,"  he  said,  "  in  the  bleak  and  un- 
comfortable eyes  of  science  your  virtue  will  not 
bear  inquiry ;  but  if  it  were  possible  to  take  a  plebi- 
scite of  the  opinions  of  your  fellows  as  hastily  as 
possible  upon  the  bare  facts,  before  a  professional 
advocate  had  a  chance  to  pervert  them,  I  do  not 
doubt  that  you  would  be  voted  to  a  position  among 
the  elect.  I  believe  myself  that  there  is  a  greater 
amount  of  purely  disinterested  nobility  among  all 
sections  of  society  than  is  generally  known.     Fif- 

152 


A    JURY    OP    ONE 

teen  shillings  I  owe  you  for  services  rendered; 
twenty-five  for  your  timely  contribution  towards 
my  rent ;  and  here  is  a  pound  with  which  to  pay  the 
kind  doctor  who  is  going  to  thwart  the  Almighty 
in  His  intention  of  causing  your  small  grandchild 
to  die.  One  of  these  days,  as  I  say,  Mrs.  Brown,  I 
hope  you  may  meet  my  mother,  for  I  would  like  to 
render  to  you  the  homage  that  all  men  desire  to  be 
allowed  to  render  to  good  women." 

He  seized  the  blackened,  shrivelled,  and  not  par- 
ticularly clean  hand  and  carried  it  to  his  lips. 


iS3 


XVII 

MESSRS.    WHITCOMB    AND    WHITCOMB 

After  the  old  woman  had  cleared  the  table  of 
the  breakfast  things  and  she  had  gone  away,  North- 
cote  sat  nearly  two  hours  in  his  easy  chair  at  the 
fire,  whose  grate  had  never  been  allowed  to  con- 
sume so  much  fuel  since  it  had  been  in  his  occupa- 
tion, and  with  the  aid  of  his  brief  proceeded  to  re- 
hearse all  the  points  of  the  case  as  they  presented 
themselves  to  him.  Warmth,  food,  and  rest  had 
overthrown  his  weariness,  and  his  mind  which  in 
its  operations  was  habitually  so  energetic  began  to 
shape  and  docket  every  conceivable  aspect  of  the 
matter  that  could  be  of  the  slightest  service  to  the 
accused.  His  reasoning  was  so  amazingly  copious 
that  he  foresaw  and  proceeded  immediately  to 
guard  against  a  very  real  danger. 

He  might  easily  overdo  it.  The  jury  would  not 
be  men  of  education  to  whom  fine  points  would  ap- 
peal. Most  probably  they  would  be  petty  trades- 
men whom  it  would  be  impossible  to  touch  through 
the  mind  at  all.  He  must  take  aim  at  their  emo- 
tions. "  I  must  use,"  he  said  to  himself  in  his 
mental  analysis,  "  not  a  word  beyond  three  syl- 
lables, and  I  must  keep  to  the  language  of  the  Bible 
as  well  as  I  can.  All  my  little  pieces  of  embroid- 
ery, all  my  little  bravura  passages  must  bear  that 
singularly  excellent  model  in  mind;  its  power  of 
touching  the  commonest  clay  is  so  unfailing.    Hap- 

IS4 


MESSRS.    WHITCOMB    AND    WHITCOMB 

pily,  in  the  course  of  my  somewhat  eclectic  studies 
it  has  not  been  neglected.  But  beyond  -all  I  must 
try  to  get  my  address  quite  fine  and  close.  One 
word  too  much  and  the  whole  thing  fizzles  out  in 
a  haze  of  perplexity.  For  that  reason  I  am  afraid 
I  must  reject  some  of  my  choicest  and  neatest 
thrusts  at  the  moral  code,  which  ought  to  tickle  to 
death  all  minds  with  a  gleam  of  humor.  No,  I 
must  deny  myself  those  bright  excursions  in  which 
the  cloven  hoof  of  the  artist  betrays  itself,  and  put 
my  faith  in  a  few  common  tricks  performed  with 
mastery.  They  at  least  should  set  up  the  honest 
English  grocer  on  his  hind  legs  and  make  him  purr 
like  anything." 

Before  the  ingenuity  of  this  keen  intelligence 
those  obstacles  which  were  bristling  everywhere 
in  the  case,  which  to  the  average  mind  would  have 
appeared  insurmountable,  began  rapidly  to  melt 
away.  It  was  with  an  ill-concealed  joy  that  he  shed 
the  lime-light  of  paradox  on  each  point  that  pre- 
sented itself.  That  array  of  facts  which  a  judge 
and  jury  of  his  countrymen  would  hug  to  their 
bosoms  as  so  many  pearls  they  could  positively  hold 
in  their  hands  he  would  disperse  with  a  touch  of 
his  wand.  In  the  ripeness  of  his  talent  he  foresaw 
that  it  would  cost  him  no  labor  to  demolish  the 
evidence,  to  turn  it  inside  out. 

The  world  is  full  of  great  masterpieces  that  have 
been  created  out  of  nothing,  haunting  and  beauti- 
ful things  which  have  been  spun  by  genius  out  of 
the  air.  And  are  not  feats  like  these  more  wonder- 
ful than  the  exercise  of  the  natural  alchemy  of 
change  by  which  fairness  is  turned  into  ugliness, 
poetry  into  lunacy,  good  into  evil,  truth  into  error? 

155 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

The  constructive  faculty  is  rare  and  consummate; 
when  it  appears  it  leaves  a  track  of  light  in  the 
heavens;  but  the  faculty  of  the  demolisher  is  at 
work  every  day.  Northcote  was  conscious  that  he 
was  a  born  demolisher  of  "  evidence,"  of  those 
trite  dogmas,  those  brutalized  formulas  of  the 
average  sensual  mind.  When  he  looked  for  truth 
he  sought  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  well.  On  the 
morrow  for  the  first  time  he  would  give  free  play 
to  his  dangerous  faculty. 

When  he  had  blocked  out  and  brought  into  har- 
mony the  main  lines  of  his  address  to  the  jury,  it 
occurred  to  him  that  his  powers  might  receive  an 
additional  stimulus  if  he  saw  the  accused,  ex- 
changed a  few  words  with  her,  brought  himself 
into  intimate  relation  with  her  outlook.  Up  to 
this  point  she  had  been  no  more  than  an  academic 
figure,  around  whom  he  had  woven  detached,  some- 
what Socratic  arguments.  He  felt  that  to  see  and 
to  know  her  would  be  to  place  yet  another  weapon 
in  his  hands,  wherewith  he  would  be  enabled  to  dig 
another  pit  for  those  whom  he  had  already  come 
to  look  on  as  his,  no  less  than  her,  deadly  adver- 
saries. 

Already  he  was  a  little  amused  by  his  own  com- 
placency, the  conviction  of  his  own  success.  There 
was  that  curious  quality  within  him  that  forbade 
his  evoking  the  possibility  of  failure  in  so  great 
an  enterprise.  He  was  so  grotesquely  sure  of  his 
own  power  to  triumph  over  arbitrary  material 
facts.  Such  a  sense  of  personal  infallibility  could 
only  spring  from  the  profoundest  ignorance,  or 
from  talent  in  its  most  virile  and  concentrated 
form.     For  what  was   more  likely  than  that  on 

156 


MESSRS.    WHITCOMB    AND    WHITCOMB 

inspection  the  accused  would  present  one  of  the 
most  abandoned  figures  of  her  cahing?  Was  it 
not  highly  probable  that  nature,  who  takes  such 
infinite  precaution  to  safeguard  her  creatures,  had 
caused  this  woman  to  assume  the  shape  of  a  hag, 
a  harpy,  a  thing  of  loathsome,  terrible  abasement? 
In  that  case,  how  would  he  dispose  of  evidence  in 
its  most  salient  form?  How  would  he  dispose  of 
that  immutable  instinct,  that  deep  conviction  which 
is  conferred  by  personality? 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  accused,  by  the  aid 
of  one  of  those  miracles  of  which  the  world  is  so 
full,  were  to  present  the  outlines  of  actual  personal 
beauty,  through  whose  agency  common  sensual 
minds  are  appealed  to  so  easily,  how  slight  would 
his  difficulties  be!  In  that  event,  so  far  as  her 
advocate  was  concerned,  the  gilt  would  be  off  the 
gingerbread,  his  achievement  would  cease  to  be 
astonishing.  Indeed,  so  finely  tempered  was  his 
arrogance  that  to  undertake  the  defence  of  one  of 
this  kind  would  be  distasteful  to  it,  so  small  would 
be  the  field  afforded  for  personal  glory.  Rather 
than  have  to  deal  with  one  who  could  be  trusted 
to  be  her  own  most  efficient  advocate,  he  would 
prefer  that  a  veritable  harpy  out  of  a  sewer  should 
be  placed  in  the  dock.  Could  he  have  been  allowed 
the  privilege  of  choosing  a  theme  for  his  powers, 
he  believed  that  he  should  best  consult  the  dictates 
of  his  talent  by  asking  for  a  commonplace,  unil- 
lumined  woman  of  forty  to  be  put  up. 

Deciding  at  last  to  seek  an  interview  with  the 
accused,  he  set  forth  to  the  offices  of  his  client  in 
Chancery  Lane.  On  his  way  thither  he  occupied 
himself  with  drawing  the  portrait  of  the  ideal  sub- 

157 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ject  as  his  mind  conceived  her.  She  would  be 
forty,  with  her  hair  turning  gray.  She  would 
be  a  plain,  drab,  slightly  elusive  figure,  cowed  a 
little  by  life,  the  privations  she  had  undergone,  and 
the  ignominy  and  terror  of  her  situation.  The 
positive,  the  actual  would  be  to  seek  in  her;  she 
would  offer  no  target  for  too  facile  sympathies. 
Her  inaccessibility  to  all  suggestions  of  romance 
or  of  picturesqueness  would  lend  to  her  predica- 
ment that  extreme  peril  which  it  would  be  her  ad- 
vocate's chief  glory  to  surmount.  All  the  same, 
he  desired  no  ghoul,  but  a  human  being.  She 
might  be  visibly  stained,  buffeted,  common,  broken, 
devoid  of  a  meaning  to  eyes  that  were  unacquainted 
with  the  poetry  of  misfortune,  the  irony  of  blunt 
truths;  yet  let  a  few  rags  of  her  sex  remain,  let 
her  be  capable  of  humiliation,  of  being  rendered 
in  piteous  fear. 

At  the  offices  of  Messrs.  Whitcomb  and  Whit- 
comb  in  Chancery  Lane  he  was  informed  that  the 
senior  partner  was  anxiously  awaiting  him. 

"  Ah,  here  you  are  at  last !  "  exclaimed  the  solic- 
itor, rising  to  receive  him.  "  I  thought  you  would 
have  been  round  before." 

''  I  suppose  you  only  honor  a  silk  gown  with  a 
consultation  in  his  own  chambers  ? "  said  North- 
cote. 

"  Chambers,  you  call  them !  Well,  did  we  not 
hold  it  last  night?" 

"  One  cannot  very  well  hold  a  consultation  with 
one's  client  before  one  receives  one's  brief." 

"What  dignity!" 

"  Is  it  not  at  least  half  the  stock  in  trade  of 
mediocrity  ?  " 

158 


MESSRS.   WHITCOMB   AND   WHITCOMB 

"  What  modesty !  Do  I  take  it  that  the  rather 
formidable  'Ercles  vein  of  last  night  is  really  no 
more  ?  " 

"You  may  not.  It  is  waxing  higher  and 
higher." 

"  Defend  us,  gentle  heaven  and  pious  gods ! " 

"  A  truce  to  these  pleasantries.  Put  on  your  hat 
and  take  me  to  the  jail  to  see  the  accused." 

"  You  are  going  a  little  fast,  my  young  friend, 
are  you  not  ?  Is  it  wholly  necessary  that  you  should 
see  the  accused?  Is  it  wholly  to  her  interest  or  to 
yours  ?  " 

"  Wholly,  I  assure  you." 

"  Well,  before  we  get  as  far  as  that,  I  am  par- 
ticularly curious  to  know  what  line  you  have  de- 
cided to  take.  Is  it  too  much  to  ask  that  you  have 
decided  not  to  adhere  to  the  acquittal?  Speaking 
for  myself,  I  must  confess  that  the  more  considera- 
tion I  give  to  the  question,  the  less  do  I  like  that 
idea.  Tobin  would  certainly  have  taken  the  line 
of  insanity." 

"  Last  night  you  were  good  enough  to  inform 
me  of  that." 

"  Well,  my  young  friend,  what  is  good  enough 
for  Tobin  should  be  good  enough  for  you." 

"  That  also  you  were  good  enough  to  inform  me 
of  last  evening.  But,  my  dear  fellow,  pray  do  not 
let  us  go  over  this  ground  again.  Unfortunately 
Tobin  and  myself  do  not  inhabit  quite  the  same 
intellectual  plane." 

"  Unfortunately  that  appears  to  be  the  case," 
said  the  solicitor. 

"Tobin's  is  the  lower,"  said  the  young  man 
blandly. 

IS9 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Tobin  will  be  glad  to  know  that.'' 

"  I  hope  he  may.  After  to-morrow  he  will  be 
the  first  to  admit  it.  But  once  more  I  crave  to  be 
allowed  to  conduct  this  case  in  my  own  way.  I 
can  listen  to  none ;  so  be  a  good  fellow,  put  on  your 
hat,  and  come  along  to  see  the  lady." 

"  Well,  I  must  say  that  for  a  youngster  who  is 
asked  for  the  first  time  to  conduct  the  defence  in 
a  capital  charge  you  don't  lack  confidence  in  your- 
self." 

"  If  I  did  I  should  not  be  holding  the  brief." 

"  There  is  something  in  that.  And  in  any  case 
you  will  have  to  have  your  way  now.  It  is  too 
late  in  the  day  to  stand  up  against  you." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  pressed  his  bell  and  a  clerk  ap- 
peared. 

"  I  want  permission  to  interview  Emma  Harri- 
son. Will  you  ring  up  the  prison  and  see  if  you 
can  get  the  governor  to  give  it  ?  " 

The  clerk  withdrew. 

"  They  are  not  likely  to  refuse  it?  "  said  North- 
cote. 

"  They  ought  not  to  be,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
"  but  when  you  are  confronted  with  Mr.  Bumble 
in  any  shape  or  form,  your  motto  must  always  be, 
*  You  never  can  tell.'  " 

"  Arbitrary  brute,"  said  the  young  man  with 
vehemence,  "  I  hate  him  altogether." 

"  I  also ;  but  one  should  always  do  him  the  jus- 
tice of  conceding  that  he  has  arduous  duties  to  per- 
form." 

"  Presumably  that  is  the  reason  why  he  aggra- 
vates difficulties  of  those  who  are  called  to  help 
him  in  performing  them." 

i6o 


MESSRS.    WHITCOMB    AND    WHITCOMB 

"  Is  not  that  what  we  agree  to  call  *  human  na- 
ture '  ?  But  really  I  think  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
citizen  to  think  of  him  tenderly.  He  means  well. 
He  is  not  a  bad  fellow  at  bottom.*' 

"  I  have  no  patience,"  said  the  young  man  tru- 
culently. "  Mean  well !  —  not  a  bad  fellow  at  bot- 
tom !  Why,  he  and  his  satellites  are  the  custodians 
of  the  life  and  liberties  of  the  whole  population. 
One  wonders  how  many  innocent  lives  have  been 
sworn  away  by  this  fat-witted  blunderer  who  is 
barely  able  to  write  his  own  name." 

"  You  are  too  strong,  my  son.  His  responsibil- 
ities are  immense;  the  wonder  is  that  he  plays  up 
to  them  in  the  manner  that  he  does." 

**  You  are  all  members  of  the  same  great  and 
far-reaching  society;  you  have  all  sworn  allegiance 
to  one  another.  Mediocrity  arm  in  arm  with  Medi- 
ocrity; Law  and  Order  arm  in  arm  with  Law  and 
Order." 

"Insolent  dog!" 

"  Better  the  insolence  of  the  dog  than  the  blind 
ineptitude  of  the  donkey.  The  barking  of  a  dog 
can  frighten  a  rogue,  but  the  braying  of  the  ass 
fills  every  fool  with  courage.  If  he  is  allowed  to 
lift  up  his  voice,  why  not  If  is  what  Mediocrity 
is  ever  asking  of  itself.  And  up  goes  your  own 
private  and  personal  bray.  The  other  ass  says, 
*  Good  Lord,  what  a  clear  and  beautiful  note! 
Upon  my  word,  I  have  never  heard  anything  to 
compare  with  it.*  And  you  reply  modestly,  *  My 
dear  fellow,  if  you  could  only  hear  your  own 
clarion  tones,  you  would  not  say  that.  My  own 
are  modelled  upon  them,  I  assure  you.*  '  Well, 
my  dear  friend,*  the  other  ass  eagerly  rejoins,  *  if 

i6i 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

that  is  really  the  case,  you  are  eligible  for  election 
to  our  Academy.'  *  Oh,  my  dear  sir,'  say  you,  with 
your  hand  on  your  heart  and  tears  in  your  voice, 

*  you  overwhelm  me  with  honor.  This  is  the  proud- 
est moment  of  my  existence.'  *  Not  at  all,  my  dear 
fellow,  tut !  tut ! '  says  the  other  ass ;  *  great  privi- 
lege to  have  you  among  us.  And  there  is  only  one 
rule,  you  know,  to  which  you  have  to  subscribe.' 

*  Ah ! '  you  exclaim,  in  an  awed  whisper.  '  The 
rule  is  quite  simple,'  says  the  other  ass,  putting  his 
great  flabby  lips  to  your  long  furry  ear.  '  It  is 
merely  that  every  member  of  our  distinguished 
brotherhood  shall  unite  in  extolling  his  confreres.'  " 

Happily  the  clerk  reappeared  at  this  moment, 
just  as  the  solicitor,  chuckling  furiously,  was  pre- 
paring to  launch  a  veritable  thunderbolt. 

"  Well  ? "  he  said  to  the  clerk,  and  suddenly 
whisking  away  his  head  to  laugh. 

"  Sir  Robert  Hickman's  compliments,  sir,  and 
Harrison's  legal  advisers  may  see  her  in  consul- 
tation at  any  time." 

"  There,  what  do  you  say  to  that !  "  said  the 
solicitor,  casting  a  merry  glance  at  the  young  ad- 
vocate. 

"  Courteous  fellow,"  said  Northcote ;  "  one  R.  A. 
to  another  R.  A. ;  it  is  perfectly  charming.  I  trust 
that  in  accordance  with  latter-day  practice  you  keep 
a  reporter  on  the  premises,  in  order  that  these  high- 
toned  amenities  may  be  communicated  to  the  press." 

*'  My  dear  boy,  you  are  perfectly  incorrigible," 
said  the  solicitor,  sticking  his  hat  on  the  back  of 
his  head  and  insinuating  his  portly  form  within 
the  folds  of  his  imposing  outer  garment.  "  But  one 
of  these  days  you  will  know  better." 

162 


MESSRS.    WHITCOMB    AND    WHITCOMB 

"  When  I  am  old  enough  to  be  eligible  for  elec- 
tion, I  dare  say;  in  the  meantime  let  me  rejoice 
that  I  am  not  yet  brought  to  heel." 

Laughing  at  the  vagaries  of  each  other,  advocate 
and  client  went  out  together,  called  a  cab,  and  drove 
to  the  prison. 


163 


XVIII 

TO   THE   PRISON 

No  sooner  had  Northcote  entered  the  vehicle 
than  his  mood  underwent  a  curious  transformation. 
His  heart  began  to  beat  rapidly,  his  hands  to  shake, 
his  knees  to  tremble.  His  brain  grew  so  hot  that 
a  vapor  was  thrown  in  front  of  his  eyes.  Extraor- 
dinary emotions  overcame  him  to  such  a  degree 
that  he  could  not  discern  any  of  the  faces  in  the 
street. 

"  You  are  very  quiet,"  said  the  solicitor,  after 
awhile. 

"  Yes,  I  dare  say,"  said  the  young  man,  in  a 
voice  which  in  his  own  ears  sounded  thin  and  high- 
strung. 

"  Why  not  talk  ?  That  is  your  metier.  You 
were  much  more  amusing  last  night  on  the  way 
to  Norbiton." 

"  Somehow  I  don't  feel  as  though  I  have  any- 
thing to  say.     My  head  is  so  full  of  this  affair." 

"  Don't  think  about  it  too  much  or  it  may  get 
you  down,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  puffing  quietly 
at  his  cigar;  "although  to-morrow  you  are  cer- 
tain to  be  in  a  horrible  funk,  as  it  is  the  first  job 
of  the  kind  you  have  ever  had  to  tackle.  Nor  will 
it  make  it  the  easier  for  you  when  you  reflect  that 
the  line  you  have  decided  to  take  will  add  im- 
mensely to  your  difficulties." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  spoke  with  the  quiet  incisiveness 
164 


TO    THE    PRISON 

of  one  whom  experience  has  rendered  callous. 
From  the  leisurely  candor  and  nonchalance  of  his 
manner  a  trial  for  murder  was  made  to  appear  of 
rather  less  moment  than  the  obtaining  of  a  judg- 
ment in  a  county  court.  Such  coolness  contrasted 
so  oddly  with  the  young  man's  own  perturbation 
that  he  was  thrown  completely  out  of  conceit  with 
himself. 

'*  I  suppose  you  played  cricket,  Whitcomb,  at 
that  highly  fashionable  seminary  of  yours?"  said 
Northcote  abruptly. 

"  I  was  a  '  wet  bob '  myself,"  the  solicitor  re- 
joined ;  "  but  I  think  I  know  why  you  ask  the  ques- 
tion." 

"  It  is  like  sitting  with  your  pads  on  waiting  for 
the  fall  of  the  next  wicket  when  you  are  playing 
for  your  '  colors.'  " 

"  I  agree,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  that  there  are 
few  things  so  disagreeable  as  that.  But  you  are 
bound  to  have  a  wretched  time  until  the  case  is 
over.  It  is  for  that  reason  that  I  continue  to  urge 
you  to  heed  the  counsels  of  experience." 

'*  Well,  I  will  see  her  first,"  said  Northcote  te- 
naciously. 

That  air  of  self-confidence  which  had  tried  the 
patience  of  the  solicitor  so  extremely  had  vanished 
altogether  from  the  manner  of  his  youthful  com- 
panion; for  to  Northcote's  horror,  every  phase  of 
the  defence  which,  with  so  much  elaboration,  he 
had  already  prepared,  every  word  of  the  memo- 
rable speech  to  the  jury  which  had  been  packed 
away  sentence  by  sentence  had  passed  away  out  of 
his  consciousness  so  completely  that  it  might  never 
have  been  in  it.     Pressing  through  the  crowded 

i6S 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

traffic  with  a  vertigo  assailing  his  eyes  and  his  ears, 
and  a  paralysis  upon  his  Hmbs,  his  mind  was  a 
blank  which  might  never  have  been  written  upon. 
Pray  heaven  this  would  not  be  his  condition  when 
he  rose  to-morrow  in  the  court;  for  what  is  coni- 
parable  to  the  despair  that  overtakes  an  imperious 
nature  when  it  is  publicly  abased  by  a  physical 
failure?  In  imagination  he  was  already  sharing 
the  sufferings  of  the  young  Demosthenes  when  de- 
rided by  the  populace. 

At  last  came  the  dread  incident  of  the  hansom 
stopping  before  the  gateway  of  the  prison.  The 
portals  rose  mournfully  through  the  twilight  of 
the  December  morning.  While  the  hansom  stood 
waiting  for  them  to  revolve,  a  little  company  of 
loafers  and  errand-boys  collected  about  the  vehicle, 
and  regarded  its  occupants  with  curiosity  not  un- 
mingled  with  awe. 

"  Lawyers,"  said  a  denizen  of  the  curb  to  a  com- 
panion, whose  world  like  his  own  was  cut  into  two 
halves  by  the  huge  wall  of  the  prison. 

"  Ugly  !  "    said  his   friend,   spitting  with 

extraordinary  vehemence  upon  the  wheel  of  the 
vehicle. 

The  huge  door,  studded  with  brass  nails,  swung 
back  soundlessly  upon  its  invisible  hinges,  and  the 
hansom  passed  over  cobbles  under  an  archway  that 
seemed  to  reverberate  so  much  with  the  sound  of 
its  progress,  that  Northcote  felt  his  brain  to  be 
shattered.  He  was  unable  to  witness  the  little 
drama  that  was  enacted  behind  him,  of  the  great 
door  shutting  out  the  row  of  solemn  faces,  standing 
upon  the  dim  threshold  of  the  outer  world  to  peer 
into  the  gloomy  precincts  of  oblivion. 

i66 


TO    THE    PRISON 

The  courtyard  seemed  to  consist  of  low  door- 
ways with  gas  lamps  burning  within  them,  endless 
expanses  of  wall,  windows  heavily  barred,  and  ex- 
tremely official-looking  police-constables.  The  little 
daylight  of  the  streets  through  which  they  had 
passed  had  diminished  sensibly. 

Mr.  Whitcomb  led  the  way  out  of  the  hansom 
as  it  stopped  at  a  doorway  at  the  end  of  the 
courtyard,  slightly  less  insignificant  than  the  rest. 

A  policeman  without  his  helmet,  but  with  three 
stripes  on  the  sleeve  of  his  tunic,  and  whose  hair, 
glossy  with  grease,  fell  over  his  low  forehead  in 
the  form  of  a  fringe,  came  out  of  the  semi-darkness 
to  receive  them. 

"If  you  will  take  my  card  to  the  governor  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  you,"   said  Mr.  Whitcomb. 

"  Yessir,"  said  the  constable,  with  a  deferential 
alacrity  touched  with  a  slightly  abject  humility. 
"  Will  you  please  to  step  this  way,  sir,  and  mind 
your  'at,  sir,  against  the  top  of  the  door?  " 

They  followed  the  policeman  along  a  gas-lit  pas- 
sage which  seemed  endless.  Their  boots  echoed  and 
reechoed  from  its  stone  flags  up  to  and  along  the 
low,  white-washed  ceiling.  Ascending  a  flight  of 
steps  they  were  shown  into  a  room  through  the 
iron  bars  of  whose  window  a  few  irregular  beams 
of  daylight  struggled  painfully,  and  arrived  in 
such  an  exhausted  condition  that  they  appeared  to 
be  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  when  they 
had  entered.  The  room  was  small,  warm,  and  so 
full  of  bad  air  that  Northcote  found  the  act  of 
respiration  difficult.  Three  or  four  massive  chairs, 
covered  in  brown  leather,  were  disposed  in  the  cor- 
ners, while  the  middle  was  in  the  occupation  of 

167 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

a  table,  upon  which  was  a  bottle  filled  with  water 
with  a  glass  fitting  over  the  top  of  it. 

"  The  atmosphere  of  this  place  makes  one  feel 
ill,"  said  Northcote,  when  the  constable  had  borne 
away  Mr.  Whitcomb's  card. 

"  They  have  another  apartment  which  will  make 
you  feel  a  lot  worse  than  this,"  said  that  gen- 
tleman cheerfully,  unbuttoning  his  coat  and  pro- 
viding himself  with  a  chair.  "  Take  a  seat  and 
make  yourself  quite  at  home.  It  will  take  our 
polite  friend  with  the  hair  at  least  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  to  penetrate  through  morasses  of  red 
tape  and  ofiicialdom  in  its  most  concentrated  form 
into  the  governor's  parlor  and  then  to  get  back 
again  to  us.     I  have  known  him  take  an  hour." 

"  Good  Lord,"  said  Northcote,  '*  I  shall  be  dead 
long  before  that." 

"  Pretend  you  are  Dante,  and  try  to  think  out 
the  first  canto  of  your  ^  Inferno,'  "  said  Mr.  Whit- 
comb,  taking  a  crumpled  copy  of  the  Law  Journal 
out  of  his  coat,  fixing  his  glass,  and  proceeding  to 
peruse  it  with  admirable  spirit  and  amiability. 

Northcote  remained  standing.  He  was  too  com- 
pletely the  victim  of  the  emotions  that  had  been 
excited  in  him  to  simulate  composure.  He  walked 
up  and  down  the  room  in  nervous  agitation,  and 
examined  the  bare  walls  and  the  grated  window. 

"I  see  they  have  revived  this  flatulent  contro- 
versy in  regard  to  the  value  of  circumstantial  evi- 
dence in  the  capital  charge,"  said  Mr.  Whit- 
comb. 

"  One  would  certainly  say  it  ought  always  to  be 
admitted  under  the  greatest  reserve,"  said  North- 
cote. 

i68 


TO    THE    PRISON 

"  It  would  be  impossible  to  work  without  it  in 
almost  every  trial  for  murder." 

"  Well,  I  shall  tell  the  jury  to-morrow,  over- 
whelming as  in  this  case  it  may  seem,  to  reject  it 
altogether." 

*'  And  what  do  you  suppose  the  judge  will  tell 
them,  may  I  ask  ?  "   said  Mr.  Whitcomb. 

"  I  am  expecting  a  bit  of  a  duel  between  us," 
Northcote  replied.  "  But  if  he  can  undo  the  work 
I  have  set  myself  to  accomplish,  he  is  a  better  man 
than  I  take  him  to  be,  that  is  all." 

The  solicitor  did  not  frame  his  reply  immedi- 
ately, but  a  rush  of  blood  to  his  complexion  an- 
nounced what  its  nature  would  have  been.  The 
fellow  was  really  like  a  child  in  vSome  things !  How 
could  he  suppose  that  these  outworn  pleas  that 
long  ago  had  been  worn  threadbare  by  every 
country  attorney  could  carry  the  least  weight  with 
men  who  bore  sound  heads  on  their  shoulders? 
If  he  had  nothing  better  on  which  to  base  his  de- 
fence than  the  inadmissibility  of  circumstantial 
evidence,  there  was  no  need  for  him  to  go  into 
court  at  all.  He  was  declining  to  call  the  witnesses 
who  would  attempt  to  prove  insanity;  he  was  re- 
jecting the  one  natural  and  reasonable  line,  which 
had  the  sanction  of  those  who  were  older,  wiser, 
altogether  more  capable  than  himself,  in  favor  of 
a  single  desperate  throw  with  the  dice  —  and  here 
was  what  that  throw  amounted  to ! 

"  I  must  venture  to  say,"  protested  the  solicitor, 
**  you  surprise  one  more  and  more.  If  you  have 
nothing  more  original  than  that  to  show  the  jury, 
a  weaker  judge  than  Brudenell  would  demolish  it 
in  a  few  minds  like  a  house  of  cards." 

169 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

"  We  shall  see." 

"  Why,  my  dear  fellow,  all  the  world  knows 
there  is  no  escape  from  circumstantial  evidence  in 
murder  cases.  Have  you  asked  yourself  the  ques- 
tion how  many  verdicts  could  have  been  taken  in 
recent  years  upon  notorious  crimes,  had  it  been 
ruled  out  ?  " 

"  I  expect  to  have  my  own  way  of  answering 
the  question,"    said  the  young  man. 

**  Yes,  and  Brudenell  will  have  his." 

"  Quite  probably,  I  grant  you,"  said  the  young 
man,  with  a  tenacity  that  his  companion  felt  to  be 
exasperating;  ''but  unless  one  is  wholly  deceived 
in  the  estimate  of  one's  own  capacity  —  forgive 
this  very  unprofessional  candor  in  regard  to  one- 
self —  the  jury  will  answer  it  in  the  fashion  I  ask 
them  to,  not  in  the  fashion  asked  of  them  by  Mr. 
Justice  Brudenell  and  Mr.  Horatio  Weekes." 

''  Well,  my  young  friend,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
scrutinizing  him  with  the  patient  wonder  that  is 
bestowed  on  a  rare  quadruped  in  a  zoological  gar- 
dens, ''  pray  don't  think  me  impertinent  if  I  con- 
fess that  you  are  the  most  baffling  compound  I 
have  ever  encountered." 

"  Notably,"  said  Northcote,  '*  of  self-conceit, 
pig-headedness,  childishness,  ignorance,  and  effront- 
ery. I  dare  say  you  are  right,  for  have  I  not 
committed  the  unpardonable  offence  of  assuming 
that  I  am  wiser  than  Tobin,  wiser  than  yourself, 
also  of  considering  myself  the  superior  of  the 
judge  upon  the  bench?" 

"  You  may  be  perfectly  entitled  to  this  self- 
estimate  after  the  event,"  said  the  solicitor,  with 
a  candor  he  was  unable  to  repress ;    *'  but  I  would 

170 


TO   THE   PRISON 

like  to  say  that  only  a  very  complete,  and  even 
astonishing,  success  to-morrow  can  possibly  justify 
it." 

"  I  recognize,  I  concede  that,"  said  the  young 
advocate,  with  an  unexpected  humility.  He  passed 
his  handkerchief  across  his  dripping  forehead.  "  Is 
it  not  true  of  all  who  undertake  to  perform  a  mir- 
acle that  nothing  short  of  a  consummate  achieve- 
ment will  satisfy  those  eternally  timid  ones  who 
have  not  even  the  courage  to  be  credulous?  It  is 
the  fate  of  all  who  break  with  custom  to  be  de- 
rided, but  was  anything  ever  done  for  the  world 
by  conforming  to  it?" 

"  Custom  is  a  useful  safeguard  against  ridicule, 
at  any  rate,"   said  Mr.  Whitcomb. 

"  Ridicule !  "  cried  the  young  man.  "  Would 
you  have  one  fear  it?  " 

"  Yes,  my  son,"  said  the  solicitor,  with  calmness 
and  unction,  '*  one  would  have  every  professional 
man  fear  it  like  the  plague." 

"  God  knows  we  are  all  susceptible  to  the  fear 
of  ridicule,"  said  the  young  man,  sweating  pro- 
fusely, "  but  is  it  not  those  fearful  minds  that 
defer  perpetually  to  custom  that  build  their  actions 
upon  it  ?  Where  would  the  epoch-makers  have  been 
had  they  been  weak  enough  to  defer  to  ridicule? 
No  movement  was  ever  initiated  but  what  in  the 
beginning  its  progenitor  was  laughed  out  of 
court." 

"  Do  I  understand,  my  young  friend,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb  in  his  suavest  accent,  "  that  you  pro- 
pose to  elevate  the  hanging  of  Emma  Harrison 
into  a  world  movement  ?  " 

"  You  may,"  said  the  young  man,  lifting  up 
171 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

his  chin,  from  which  great  beads  were  rolling, 
"  for  the  theme  is  fit  for  a  world-drama.  And  he 
who  is  cast  for  the  leading  role  shall  make  it  so." 
With  unsteady  steps  Northcote  passed  out  of  the 
gloomy  corner  in  which  he  stood  to  where  the  day- 
light struggled  through  the  grated  window.  He 
pressed  his  forehead  against  the  bars.  "  One 
would  have  preferred  Gethsemane,"  he  muttered; 
"  at  least  there  would  have  been  space  and  air." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  readdressed  himself  to  the  study 
of  the  Law  Journal.  The  conquest  of  that  irrita- 
tion which  overcomes  on  occasion  the  sternest  dis- 
cipline had  long  been  elevated  into  a  mental  habit 
by  this  sagacious  gentleman,  who  felt  it  to  be  the 
due  of  the  inimitable  coolness  with  which  he  looked 
at  life.  Yet  could  he  have  indulged  an  explosion 
without  endangering  his  stupendous  dignity,  he 
must  have  done  so  here.  This  ridiculous  fellow 
was  getting  on  his  nerves.  Whatever  could  have 
led  him  to  entrust  him  with  a  case  of  this  kind? 
Was  it  not  an  evil  hour  when  he  climbed  those 
foul  and  dark  stairs  to  hale  him  from  the  obscurity 
of  his  garret?  What  could  be  clearer  than  that 
this  madman  was  about  to  make  a  public  exhibition 
of  himself  and  of  his  client?  After  all,  the  un- 
earthing of  this  man  Northcote  was  no  more  than 
a  whim  of  Tobin's  formed  on  the  spur  of  the  oc- 
casion. Tobin,  it  was  true,  was  highly  successful, 
yet  he  was  himself  a  somewhat  odd,  whimsical  fel- 
low, a  Celt;  and  really  his  suggestion  ought  to 
have  been  seen  at  the  deuce.  Yet  it  was  no 
good  to  repine;  he  had  gone  too  far  to  draw  back; 
time,  the  tyrannical  determining  factor  of  every 
event,  allowed  him  no  choice.     This  man  North- 

172 


TO    THE    PRISON 

cote  must  be  Emma  Harrison's  advocate  or  she 
must  do  without  one. 

In  the  meantime  Northcote's  tense  emotion  had 
been  well  served  by  the  cold  iron  against  which  his 
face  was  pressed.  It  seemed  to  possess  a  medicinal 
quality  which  entered  his  arteries.  Once  more  his 
mind  was  able  to  exert  its  faculty.  His  courage, 
his  fecundity  of  idea,  the  sense  of  his  destiny,  had 
seemed  to  return. 

The  discomposure  of  the  solicitor  and  the  nerv- 
ous tension  of  the  advocate  were  intruded  upon 
at  last  by  the  constable,  who  had  taken  rather  more 
than  three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  perform  his  mis- 
sion. 

"  Will  you  come  this  way,  gentlemen?  "   he  said. 

They  were  conducted  along  more  dark  and  ap- 
parently interminable  passages,  up  one  flight  of 
stone  steps  and  down  two  others,  until  at  last  they 
found  themselves  in  a  room  similar  to  the  one  they 
had  left,  except  that  it  was  larger  and  gloomier, 
smelt  rather  more  poisonous,  and  looked  some- 
what more  funereal. 

Northcote's  heart  was  again  beating  violently 
as  he  stepped  over  its  threshold,  and  his  excitement 
was  not  in  the  least  allayed  when  he  discovered  that 
there  was  no  one  in  it. 

"If  you  will  kindly  take  a  seat,  gentlemen,"  said 
their  guide,  "  Harrison  will  be  here  in  a  few  min- 
utes." 

"  In  other  words,  twenty,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
beginning  a  tour  of  inspection  of  this  dismal  apart- 
ment. "  These  small  mementoes  may  have  some 
slight  interest  for  you,  my  friend,"  he  said  to 
Northcote. 

173 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

He  drew  the  young  man's  attention  to  a  row  of 
shelves  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  window.  They 
were  raised  tier  upon  tier  to  the  height  of  the  ceil- 
ing, and  were  crammed  with  crude  staring  objects. 
A  close  inspection  revealed  them  to  be  busts  made 
of  plaster  of  Paris. 

"  Why,  what  are  these  horrible  things  supposed 
to  represent?"  said  Northcote,  with  a  thrill  in 
his  voice. 

"  These,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb  cheerfully,  "  are 
the  casts  taken  after  death  of  a  number  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  who  have  had  the  distinction  of 
being  hanged  within  the  precincts  of  this  jail  dur- 
ing the  past  hundred  years.  If  you  will  examine 
them  closely,  you  will  be  able  to  observe  the  inden- 
tation of  the  hangman's  rope,  which  has  been 
duly  imprinted  on  the  throat  of  each  individual. 
Also,  you  may  discern  the  mark  of  the  knot  under 
the  left  ear.  Interesting,  are  they  not?  The  official 
mind  is  generally  able  to  exhibit  itself  in  quite  an 
amiable  light  when  it  stoops  to  the  sesthetic." 

"  I  call  it  perfectly  devilish,"  said  Northcote, 
shuddering  with  horror. 

"  They  must  have  quite  a  peculiar  scientific  in- 
terest," said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  ''  for  each  lady  or 
gentleman  who  may  chance  to  enter  this  apartment 
to  consult  his  or  her  legal  adviser.  Are  you  able 
to  recognize  any  of  these  persons  of  distinction? 
If  I  am  not  mistaken,  the  elderly  gentleman  on  the 
third  row  on  the  right  towards  the  door  is  no  less 
an  individual  than  Cuttell,  who  poisoned  a  whole 
family  at  Wandsworth.  High-minded  and  cour- 
teous person  as  he  undoubtedly  was,  I  must  say 
Cuttell  certainly  looks  less  outre  now  he  is  dead, 

174 


TO   THE   PRISON 

and  more  in  harmony  with  his  surroundings,  than 
when  he  entered  this  room,  and  asked  me  in  a 
mincing  tone,  with  all  the  aitches  misplaced, 
whether  in  my  opinion  any  obstacle  would  be  raised 
against  his  getting  his  evening  clothes  out  of  pawn, 
as  he  desired  to  wear  them  in  the  dock  during  his 
trial." 

"  For  the  love  of  pity,  spare  me! "  cried  North- 
cote,  pressing  his  fingers  into  his  ears,  "  or  I  shall 
run  away." 

"  The  gentleman  with  the  protruding  lip  on  the 
second  shelf  towards  the  window  is,  unless  my  eyes 
deceive  me,  one  Bateman,  who  slaughtered  his 
maiden  aunt  with  a  chopper  and  buried  her  in  a 
drain  —  " 

Northcote  spared  himself  further  details  in  the 
history  of  Mr.  Bateman  by  laying  violent  hands 
upon  his  counterfeit  presentment,  and  hurling  it 
with  terrific  force  against  the  iron  window  bar, 
whence  it  fell  to  the  floor  in  a  thousand  pieces. 

"  Upon  my  soul,  I  have  a  great  mind  to  go 
through  the  lot,"   he  said,  livid  with  fury. 

"  Pray  do  so,  by  all  means,  dear  boy,"  said  Mr. 
Whitcomb,  with  that  unction  which  never  forsook 
him,  "  and  you  will  find  your  art-loving  countrymen 
will  avenge  this  outrage  upon  the  private  and  pecul- 
iar form  of  their  culture  by  one  day  insisting  that 
your  own  effigy  is  placed  on  these  historic  shelves." 


175 


XIX 

THE  ACCUSED 

Renewed  assaults  upon  these  interesting  objets 
d'art  were  averted  by  sounds  outside  in  the  cor- 
ridor. Northcote  imposed  a  superhuman  control 
on  all  his  faculties  that  his  agitation  might  be  re- 
strained, when  the  door  opened  and  two  shadowy 
figures,  barely  visible  at  first,  crept  silently  into  the 
darkness  of  the  room. 

The  two  figures  were  those  of  women.  By  the 
time  Northcote  had  evoked  a  sufficient  force  of 
will  to  meet  their  outline,  the  one  that  first  en- 
countered his  glance  was  so  brutalized  and  repul- 
sive that  his  eyes  were  detained  with  a  fascinated 
sense  of  horror.  It  belonged  to  a  creature  that  was 
degraded,  squat,  coarse,  insensitive.  He  felt  almost 
the  same  reluctance  in  approaching  it  as  he  would  a 
cobra. 

She,  however,  was  not  the  one  whom  Mr.  Whit- 
comb,  with  all  the  polished  readiness  of  the  thor- 
oughgoing man  of  the  world,  had  advanced  to 
meet,  and  to  whom  he  had  held  out  his  hand.  The 
young  man  heard  with  stupefaction,  while  his  own 
gaze  remained  riveted  to  the  features  of  the  sibyl, 
the  bland  and  courtier-like  tones  of  the  solicitor 
caressing  and  paying  homage  to  a  figure  in  the 
background,  a  figure  which  was  still  and  silent, 
which  he  could  not  see. 

This  person,  however,  had  no  interest  for  North- 
176 


THE   ACCUSED 

cote;  she  was  so  obviously  the  female  warder  who 
had  accompanied  the  murderess.  One  so  charac- 
terless, so  formless,  could  not  be  said  to  exist  in 
the  presence  of  this  detaining  horror,  whose  per- 
sonality thickened,  as  with  pestilence,  the  noisome 
air  of  the  room.  And  it  was  this  obscene  life  that 
he  had  pledged  himself  to  save! 

Strangely,  this  blunt  fact  did  not  dominate  his 
consciousness  in  the  manner  it  must  have  done  one 
of  a  less  alert  perception.  For  with  a  perversity 
that  transcended  the  will,  at  this  moment  his 
thoughts  were  overspread  by  the  comedy  that  was 
being  enacted  by  the  suave  lips  of  the  soHcitor. 
The  harmonious  stream  of  mellow  commonplaces 
that  Mr.  Whitcomb  was  pouring  into  the  ear  of 
the  shrinking  official  nonentity  who  kept  in  the 
background  accosted  his  sense  of  the  comic  with 
a  kind  of  lugubrious  irony.  With  a  critical  detach- 
ment which  even  startled  himself,  he  seemed  to 
awake  to  the  fact  that  he  was  standing  outside  his 
milieu,  that  he  was  witnessing  a  drama  within  a 
drama;  and  he  found  himself  in  possession  of  the 
singular  reflection  that  here  was  a  robust  yet  deli- 
cate adumbration  of  the  farcical  which  would  make 
the  fortune  of  a  writer  for  the  stage.  For  there 
was  something  indescribably  ludicrous  in  the  rich 
voice  of  the  solicitor  enunciating  his  own  private 
opinions  upon  the  weather,  the  state  of  trade,  the 
inconvenience  of  winter  and  its  bearing  upon  the 
perennial  problem  of  the  unemployed,  when  the 
grotesque  horror  which  dominated  the  room  was  at 
his  elbow,  emitting  the  glances  of  a  venomous 
snake. 


177 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

Suddenly  Northcote  heard  Mr.  Whitcomb  call 
his  name. 

"  Come  here,  Mr.  Northcote ;  I  want  to  introduce 
you." 

In  a  hazy,  stupefied  manner  the  young  man 
obeyed. 

"  Mrs.  Harrison,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  allow  me 
to  present  my  friend  Mr.  Northcote.  I  feel  sure 
you  will  find  a  friend  in  him  too." 

The  advocate  grew  aware  that  a  weak,  nerveless 
hand  was  resting  in  his,  but  his  eyes  were  still 
riveted  on  the  face  of  the  ghoul. 

"  Say  something,  you  fool,  and  play  up  a  bit," 
said  the  solicitor's  calm  voice  in  his  ear. 

"  Er  —  a  nice  day,  Mrs.  Harrison,"  said  the 
young  man,  without  knowing  a  word  he  was  utter- 
ing. 

"  Yes,"  said  a  hesitating  voice,  which  by  no  pos- 
sibility could  have  proceeded  from  the  tightly 
closed  lips  of  the  creature  whom  his  gaze  was  de- 
vouring. 

The  words  broke  the  illusion  at  a  blow.  The  bru- 
talized countenance  under  whose  dominion  he  had 
fallen  was  that  of  the  female  warder.  The  person 
with  whom  the  solicitor  had  been  conversing  with 
such  cheerful  volubility,  to  whom  he  was  now  him- 
self speaking,  was  the  poisoner,  the  cold-blooded 
denizen  of  the  curb  and  the  gutter.  He  drew  his 
hand  away  quickly,  with  an  involuntary  emotion, 
from  those  hot,  flabby,  and  damp  fingers  that  he 
still  detained. 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  the  woman  seemed  to 
breathe,  as  though  she  were  interpreting  an  un- 
spoken thought. 

178 


THE  ACCUSED 

"  I  may  tell  you,  Mrs.  Harrison,"  said  the  solici- 
tor, with  his  well-fed  chuckle,  "  that  if  your  knowl- 
edge can  compare  with  that  of  this  gentleman,  you 
are  one  of  the  wisest  persons  in  the  world.  He 
will  tell  you  so  himself." 

So  crude  a  gibe  had  the  happy  effect  of  restoring 
to  Northcote  his  self-possession. 

"  My  name  is  not  known,  Mrs.  Harrison,"  he 
said,  with  his  fibres  stiffening,  and  his  voice  grow- 
ing deeper  and  falling  under  control,  "  but  you  can 
trust  me  to  eke  out  my  inexperience  with  a  deter- 
mination to  serve  you  to  the  utmost  of  my  power." 

Northcote  saw  that  two  luminous  orbs  were  be- 
ing defined  slowly  in  the  centre  of  the  gloom.  For 
an  instant  no  reply  was  made  to  his  words,  and  then 
he  was  conscious  that  a  faint  voice  was  whispering, 
"If  your  friend  would  go  right  away  with  the 
warder  —  right  away  to  the  end  of  the  room,  then 
perhaps  we  could  speak  with  one  another  here 
where  it  is  so  dark." 

"  Whitcomb,"  said  Northcote,  in  a  low  tone, 
"  please  take  the  warder  right  up  to  the  window  at 
the  other  end,  where  you  can  see  to  read,  and  read 
the  Law  journal  to  her." 

"  How  d'ye  do,  ma'am,"  said  the  solicitor,  turn- 
ing to  the  ghoul  in  his  promptest,  blandest,  and 
most  musical  manner.  *'  I  think  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  meet  you  before,  although  you  may  not 
remember  me.  Is  that  boy  of  yours  prospering  in 
the  police  force?  " 

'*  I  haven't  got  a  boy  in  the  police  force,"  said  the 
sibyl,  in  a  loud,  strident  tone. 

"  Then  which  of  your  blood  relations  is  it,  may 


179 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

I  ask,  who  is  connected  with  the  police  force?  I 
am  sure  you  have  some  one." 

"  I  have  an  uncle." 

"Ah,  to  be  sure,  an  uncle !  But  it  is  so  easy  to 
make  a  mistake  on  a  point  of  official  nepotism. 
Come  along  this  way,  ma'am,  and  tell  me  all  about 
your  uncle." 


x8o 


XX 

THE  INTERVIEW 

Prisoner  and  advocate  were  left  together  amid 
recesses  of  impenetrable  gloom  in  the  darkest  cor- 
ner of  the  large  apartment.  It  seemed  to  enfold 
them,  and  to  render  the  pallor  of  their  faces  almost 
invisible.  The  eyes  alone  encountered  those  of 
each  other,  and  even  these  could  embody  no  phase 
of  meaning.  A  strange  continence,  as  sharp  and 
clean  as  that  of  a  hero  of  fable,  had  begun  to 
cleanse  the  veins  of  the  advocate.  In  the  presence 
of  this  stealthy  thing  his  nature  had  never  seemed 
so  fine,  so  valiant,  so  full  of  subtle  penetration ;  nor 
had  it  ever  felt  so  girt  with  mastery,  so  completely 
enamored  of  its  own  security. 

"  I  shall  know  what  words  to  speak  to-morrow,'' 
he  said,  in  a  hoarse  undertone. 

"Will  they  not  be  spoken  for  yourself?"  whis- 
pered the  dismal  low  voice. 

"  How  ?    In  what  manner  ?  " 

"  You  will  speak  to  make  a  name." 

"  Also  for  the  salvation  of  yours." 

"  Mine  does  not  matter;  it  is  not  my  own." 

"  You  trust  me,  do  you  not?  " 

"  I  trust  you ;  yet  you  drew  your  hand  away  so 
quickly  when  you  knew  it  was  not  the  warder  who 
was  the  murderess.     Give  it  to  me  again." 

There  was  something  so  curious  in  the  prisoner's 
fragility,  something  so  strange  in  her  cowed  air, 

i8i 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

that  it  seemed  to  pervade  the  advocate  with  the 
stealth  of  a  drug.  But  the  emotion  of  disgust  with 
which  he  had  withdrawn  his  hand  when  first  he 
grew  conscious  that  he  touched  her  was  no  longer 
present  when  he  offered  it  again.  The  second  time 
she  clasped  her  fingers  round  it  so  that  their  pres- 
sure seemed  to  sear  his  skin.  It  had  the  heat  of  a 
live  coal. 

In  releasing  his  hand  she  let  her  fingers  yield  it 
so  imperceptibly  that  he  did  not  know  the  precise 
point  at  which  it  had  ceased  to  be  held ;  and  he  was 
afraid  to  make  a  motion  of  withdrawal,  lest  it 
should  be  interpreted  as  a  repetition  of  that  which 
had  dealt  her  a  wound.  He  tried  to  see  her  face, 
but  in  the  darkness  there  was  no  lineament  to  de- 
cipher. 

"  This  is  my  deliverer,"  he  heard  her  breathe. 

"  How  have  you  come  to  know  it?  "  The  advo- 
cate was  devoured  by  an  intolerable  curiosity. 

"  Your  hands  —  your  hands,  they  are  so  power- 
ful; are  you  not  so  strong?" 

There  was  nothing  in  these  words  that  the  advo- 
cate had  expected ;  the  voice,  the  manner  of  their  ut- 
terance, their  apparent  irrelevance,  made  a  strange 
effect  in  his  ears. 

"  They  will  not  do  me  to  death,"  she  said,  in  a 
tone  he  could  hardly  hear.  "  I  never  tasted  life 
until  I  was  brought  into  prison.  And  you  cannot 
think  how  sweet  it  is  to  me.  Everything  has  be- 
come so  beautiful :  the  birds,  the  trees,  and  the  sky, 
and  the  crowds  of  people  and  the  mud  of  the  great 
city." 

She  clutched  the  hand  of  the  young  advocate 
with  a  convulsive  shudder. 

182 


THE    INTERVIEW 

"  Your  quietness  tells  me  that  you  understand." 
Her  voice  was  touched  with  ecstasy.  **  You  do  not 
answer  or  seek  to  console  me.  You  are  the  one  I 
have  dreamed  of  in  prison.  Where  is  your 
hand?" 

Again  Northcote  yielded  to  her  entreaty,  this 
time  without  a  sense  of  repulsion. 

"  Yes,  this  is  the  hand  that  has  been  around  me 
in  the  darkness^  when  I  have  shuddered  in  my 
dreams." 

"  It  is  wonderful,"  said  Northcote,  "  that  you 
should  know  that  you  will  be  able  to  lean  upon  me." 

"  I  know  what  your  voice  is  like  also,  although 
it  is  so  vague  and  distant  to  me  now.  I  know  the 
words  it  will  speak  to-morrow,  when  it  asks  them 
to  be  merciful.  I  know  that  all  I  have  seen  in  my 
dreams  will  take  place." 

"  It  must  be  a  grievous  thing  to  go  to  sleep  in  a 
prison,"  said  Northcote,  uttering  a  half-formed 
thought  without  consideration  of  his  words.  "  Or 
perhaps  it  is  more  dreadful  to  awaken  in  one." 

"  The  going  to  sleep  and  the  awakening  are  not 
so  terrible  as  the  dreams  that  come.  That  in  which 
I  saw  you  first,  in  which  I  first  heard  your  voice, 
in  which  I  first  touched  the  hand  that  will  deliver 
me,  was  most  dreadful  in  its  nature.  My  weak 
mind  fell  down  under  it.  I  think  I  could  not  live 
through  such  a  vision  again." 

"  How  strange  are  these  visitations ! "  said 
Northcote.  "  How  awful,  how  mysterious !  When 
did  this  dream  come  to  you  ?  " 

"  Last  night  about  the  hour  of  ten;  the  first  time 
I  had  closed  my  eyes  for  three  days." 

Northcote  recoiled  with  a  shudder.     The  precis- 

183 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ion  of  the  voice  and  the  power  of  the  coincidence 
were  overmastering". 

"  There  is  no  accounting  for  these  things,"  he 
said,  in  a  voice  throbbing  with  excitement.  ''  At 
the  same  hour  I  also  had  a  strange,  an  almost  ter- 
rible sort  of  vision." 

"  Yes,  my  deliverer,  you  have  been  called  into  my 
life  to  save  it  —  to  save  that  life  which  never  had 
a  perfect  thought  until  it  was  brought  into  prison. 
It  did  not  know  v/hat  the  trees  and  the  sky  were, 
nor  the  air  and  the  birds;  never  had  it  heard  a 
deep  voice  nor  touched  a  strong  hand.  You  are  he 
that  leaped  out  of  the  vast  multitude  that  mocked 
me  in  my  dream,  he  who  stood  up  before  it,  and, 
with  a  great  voice  that  sounded  like  the  waves  of 
the  sea,  caused  them  all  to  break  and  run.  They 
grew  afraid  of  your  words  and  your  looks,  and  they 
fled  in  terror.  Yes,  my  life  has  become  so  full  of 
beauty  and  meaning,  so  full  of  a  spacious  mystery, 
that  I  cannot  believe  it  is  to  be  taken  away." 

These  words,  breathed  rather  than  spoken, 
sounded  in  the  ear  of  Northcote  as  those  of  a  tran- 
scendent sanity.  Remote  as  they  were,  they  yet  ap- 
peared divinely  appropriate  to  the  time  and  place. 
But  they  left  only  one  course  for  him  to  follow. 
He  must  detach  himself  from  the  unhappy  speaker 
of  them;  he  must  flee  her  presence.  Their  edge 
was  too  keen.  There  would  be  no  advocacy  on  the 
morrow  if  he  yielded  to  the  subtle  enervation  of 
this  atmosphere.  The  voice  pierced  him  like  a 
passion,  yet  his  veins  had  grown  sluggish  and 
heavy,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  a  drug. 


184 


XXI 

THE    TALISMAN    WHICH    TRANSCENDS    EXPERIENCE 

Calling  the  name  of  the  solicitor,  Northcote 
broke  away  abruptly  from  the  prisoner  and  left  the 
room.  It  had  seemed  to  be  charged  with  a  pesti- 
lence. Mr.  Whitcomb  was  soon  at  his  side,  and 
hastily  they  wended  their  way  up  and  down  various 
flights  of  stone  steps,  along  the  noisome  corridors 
of  the  huge  building,  until  daylight  came  in  sight 
once  more  through  the  doorway  at  the  end  of  the 
passage  at  which  their  cab  was  standing.  Their 
relief  was  very  real  at  being  able  to  breathe  again 
the  living  air,  fog-laden  as  it  was. 

"  I  don't  know  how  many  times,"  said  Mr.  Whit- 
comb, as  they  drove  from  the  portals  of  the  jail, 
"  on  one  errand  and  another,  I  have  descended  into 
this  inferno,  but  it  never  loses  its  power  to  give  me 
the  blues." 

"  I  am  regretting,"  said  Northcote,  "  that  I  did 
not  take  your  advice.  I  wish  I  had  not  come  near 
it.  I  cannot  shake  off  the  impression  it  has  made. 
Ugh!  it  gets  into  one's  blood.  I  don't  know  any- 
thing quite  so  overpowering  as  the  nausea  of 
locality." 

"  You  are  too  impressionable,  my  son,"  said  the 
solicitor,  with  a  furtive  smile.  "  You  will  never  be 
able  to  get  through  life  at  this  rate.  It  wants  one 
of  some  hardihood,  one  who  is  robust  in  each  one 
of  his  five  senses,  to  practise  law." 

185 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

"  I  would  say,"  Northcote  rejoined,  with  a  shud- 
der, "  that  to  be  armed  for  this  calHng  each  par- 
ticular nerve  he  has  got  in  his  body  must  be  shod 
with  iron." 

The  solicitor  laughed  at  so  palpable  a  discom- 
posure. 

''What  did  you  make  of  the  prisoner?"  he 
asked,  suddenly.  "  You  appeared  to  find  a  great 
deal  to  say  to  one  another." 

"  Personally  I  hardly  spoke  a  word  to  her,"  said 
the  young  man,  seeking  to  gather  his  recollection 
of  that  strange  interview. 

"  She  appeared  to  find  a  good  deal  to  say  to 
you,"  said  the  solicitor.  "  In  that  respect  you  have 
been  more  fortunate  than  myself.  I  have  spoken 
with  her  three  times,  and  I  don't  think  I  have 
been  able  to  extract  three  words  from  her.  Do  you 
mind  telling  me  what  she  said  ?  " 

"  To  the  best  of  my  remembrance  she  said  noth- 
ing that  could  have  the  least  interest  for  anybody." 

"  Tell  me,  what  impression  of  her  have  you 
brought  away  ?  " 

"  I  hardly  know  whether  she  allowed  me  to  form 
one.  Our  communication  seemed  so  indirect.  She 
kept  her  face  in  the  shadow  all  the  time;  I  could 
not  discern  a  feature." 

"  Surely  you  were  able  to  gather  some  sort  of 
general  idea  ?  " 

"  That  is  the  strange  thing  —  I  seem  to  have 
formed  no  opinion  about  her.  One  would  not 
have  thought  it  conceivable  that  one  should  have 
conversed  with  a  person,  dealt  at  least  in  an  actual 
exchange  of  words  at  close  quarters,  and  that  they 
should  remain  so  null.    I  think  I  should  have  been 

i86 


THE    TALISMAN 

better  acquainted  with  her  had  I  not  seen  her  at 
all." 

"  Come,  my  dear  fellow,  you  can  surely  recall 
a  word  or  two  of  what  she  said?  She  is  an 
enigma;  and  she  is  said  not  to  have  spoken  six 
words  since  she  was  first  remanded  in  custody." 

**  That  certainly  makes  the  volubility  in  which 
she  indulged  this  afternoon  the  more  astonish- 
mg. 

"  Indeed  it  does.  Would  you  say  that  she  ex- 
pects an  acquittal  ?  " 

"  Well,  now  you  come  to  mention  that,  I  would 
say  she  does." 

"  It  is  an  extraordinary  thing  that  they  are  all 
so  sanguine.  It  hardly  ever  seems  to  occur  to  any  of 
them  that  by  any  possibility  they  can  meet  with 
their  deserts.  Indeed,  one  might  say  the  bigger  the 
criminal,  the  greater  their  confidence  that  they  will 
escape." 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  you  what  opinion  you  have 
formed  of  her,"    said  Northcote. 

"  It  follows  the  lines  of  your  own.  When  I  have 
come  into  personal  contact  with  her,  I  have  been 
able  to  make  rather  less  than  nothing  of  her.  At 
first  I  thought  she  seemed  sullen,  and  quite  recon- 
ciled to  her  position,  indeed,  that  she  was  too  cal- 
lous to  care  about  anything;  but  upon  seeing  her 
to-day,  I  was  rather  struck  by  the  fact  that  her 
attitude  had  undergone  a  change." 

*'  How  long  has  she  been  in  prison  ?  " 

"  Nearly  three  months.  She  is  an  odd  sort  of 
creature  —  her  former  associates  are  agreed  upon 
that  —  and  doubtless  some  sort  of  change  has  taken 
place  in  her.    I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  that 

187 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

insanity  is  your  line;  and  by  this  time  it  should 
not  be  too  much  to  hope  that  you  are." 

"  She  will  expect  her  liberty." 

"  She  will  expect !  My  dear  boy,  it  is  when  you 
permit  yourself  to  talk  in  this  fashion  that  you 
fill  one  with  so  much  distrust.  Her  position  en- 
titles her  to  expect  nothing." 

"  No  sort  of  doubt  overtakes  you  then  in  regard 
to  her  guilt?" 

"  None.  I  have  suggested  that  to  you  over  and 
over  again.  My  dear  fellow,  it  is  as  I  feared ;  you 
have  not  permitted  yourself  a  due  appreciation  of 
the  overwhelming  nature  of  the  evidence.  I  do 
not  see  how  she  can  hope  to  escape;  and  this  is 
pretty  plain  speaking  on  the  part  of  her  attorney. 
Just  look  at  the  array  of  facts  —  her  course  of  life, 
her  purchase  of  the  poison,  the  result  of  the  post- 
mortem, the  presence  of  motive.  Again  and  again 
I  have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  suggest  to  you  that 
Tobin  would  not  have  attempted  to  shake  the  evi- 
dence." 

"  Well,  you  must  permit  me  to  say  that,  reflect 
upon  the  question  as  I  will,  it  does  not  seem  easy 
to  reconcile  the  woman  in  that  room  with  the  cold- 
blooded monster  who  will  be  presented  to  the  jury." 

"  That  phenomenon  is  by  no  means  rare.  It  has 
been  my  fortune  to  undertake  the  defence  of  more 
than  one  finished  example  of  moral  obliquity  who 
has  presented  not  the  least  indication  of  such  a  con- 
dition. Besides,  do  you  not  admit  that  the  im- 
pression that  this  woman  made  upon  you  was  one 
of  absolute  nullity?  Were  you  not  unable  to  divine 
anything  in  regard  to  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  was  my  first  feeling;  but  I  am  now 
i88 


THE    TALISMAN 

confessing  that  after  all,  in  some  mysterious  way, 
she  has  contrived  to  shake  these  preconceived  ideas 
about  her,  now  that  from  this  distance  I  can  view 
the  room  and  what  transpired  in  it.  I  dare  not 
say  by  what  means  she  has  contrived  to  produce 
this  effect;  indeed,  it  is  so  subtle  that  I  can  hardly 
say  what  it  amounts  to,  because  if  I  begin  to  recall 
her  words  she  seems  almost  to  have  admitted  her 
guilt.  Yet  of  one  thing  I  am  convinced  —  she 
presented  no  evidence  of  her  depravity." 

"  One  can  easily  concede  the  probability  of  that." 

"  Yes,  but  had  it  been  as  complete  as  you  insist, 
I  must  have  seen  it." 

"  Pardon  me,  but  I  am  afraid  it  does  not  fol- 
low. What  is  easier  than  to  hide  its  traces  from 
the  eyes  of  inexperience  ?  " 

"  Have  I  not  the  talisman  in  my  pocket  which 
transcends  experience?" 

"  Talisman  be  damned,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
with  a  jovial  brutality. 

Before  his  companion  could  frame  an  answer  to 
a  scorn  so  unconciliatory,  the  hansom  stopped  be- 
fore the  offices  of  Messrs.  Whitcomb  and  Whit- 
comb.    They  alighted  together. 


189 


XXII 

LIFE   OR   DEATH 

The  final  consultation  of  Northcote  and  his 
client  took  place  in  the  open  street  in  the  heavily 
raining  December  afternoon,  with  their  backs 
against  l^lr.  Whitcomb's  brass  plate.  The  spot  se- 
lected for  their  last  utterances  on  this  momentous 
affair  was  incongruous  indeed,  but  each  had  grown 
so  impatient  of  the  other,  that  if  their  last  words 
were  spoken  here,  the  clash  of  their  mental  states 
was  the  less  likely,  to  invite  disaster  than  in  a  more 
formal  council-chamber  of  four  walls. 

The  robust  common  sense  of  the  solicitor  had 
never  shown  itself  to  be  more  incisive  than  now 
as  he  stood  with  his  back  to  his  own  door,  under 
a  dripping  umbrella,  his  hat  pushed  to  the  back  of 
his  head,  and  his  trousers  turned  up  beyond  his 
ankles.  His  twenty  years  of  immensely  successful 
practice,  his  exact  knowledge  of  human  nature,  his 
ruthless  worldliness,  his  reverence  for  the  hard 
fact,  stood  forth  here  in  the  oddest  contrast  with 
the  somewhat  ''  special  "  and  rarefied  quality  of 
this  youthful  advocate  whom  he  had  seen  fit  to  en- 
trust with  so  important  a  case. 

"  It's  a  pity,  it's  a  pity,"  he  brought  himself  to  say 
at  last,  his  veneer  falling  off  a  little  under  the  stress 
of  his  chagrin,  and  revealing  a  glimpse  of  the  baffled 
human  animal  beneath.  "  It  is  a  serious  mistake 
to  have  made;    but  we  have  got  to  stand  to  it. 

190 


LIFE    OR    DEATH 

You  are  not  the  man  for  this  class  of  work,  to 
speak  bluntly.  You  are  either  too  deep  or  you  are 
not  deep  enough.  But  as  I  say,  we  have  got  to 
stand  to  it  now.  My  last  words  will  be  to  urge 
you  to  put  as  good  a  face  upon  it  as  you  can." 

In  other  words,"  said  Northcote,  stiffening, 
"you  will  look  to  me  to  do  my  best." 

"  I  don't  put  it  in  that  form  exactly,"  said  the 
solicitor,  midway  between  exasperation  and  a  de- 
sire to  be  courteous.  *'  I  want  you  fully  to  ap- 
preciate that  you  are  handling  an  extremely  tough 
job,  and  I  merely  want  you  to  make  the  best  of 
it,  that's  all." 

''  I  will  tell  you,  Mr.  Whitcomb,"  said  North- 
cote, striving  in  vain  to  avert  the  explosion  that 
had  been  gathering  for  so  long,  "  that  if  it  were 
not  now  the  eleventh  hour,  if  I  had  not  pledged 
myself  to  this  thing  more  deeply  than  you  know, 
if  it  were  not  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  me  as 
well  as  to  your  client,  I  would  throw  your  brief 
back  at  you  rather  than  submit  to  this.  It  will 
be  time  enough  for  you  to  get  upon  your  platform 
when  I  have  made  a  hash  of  everything." 

"  Yes,  I  think  you  are  entitled  to  say  that,"  said 
the  solicitor  impartially,  having  made  a  successful 
effort  to  recapture  his  own  serenity.  "  I  have  no 
right  to  talk  as  I  am  doing;  I  have  never  done  so 
to  any  one  else.  I  suspect  you  have  got  on  my 
nerves  a  bit." 

"  Yes,  the  whole  matter  throws  back  to  the  clash 
of  our  temperaments,"  said  Northcote,  unable  to 
cloak  his  own  irritation  now  that  it  had  walked 
abroad.  "It  is  a  pity  that  we  ever  attempted  to 
work  together.    Yet  for  one  who  envelops  himself 

191 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

in  the  serene  air  of  reason,  you  are  somewhat  il- 
logical, are  you  not?  You  enter  the  highways  and 
hedges  in  search  of  a  particular  talent;  you  have  the 
fortune  to  light  upon  it;  and  then  you  turn  and 
rend  its  unhappy  possessor  for  possessing  it." 

"  As  I  say,  my  dear  boy,  this  particular  talent 
of  yours  —  or  is  it  your  temperament?  —  you  see 
I  am  not  up  in  these  technical  names  —  has  got  on 
my  nerves  a  little." 

"  And  your  temperament,  my  friend,  to  indulge 
a  tu  quoque,  is  covered  with  a  hard  gritty  outer  coat- 
ing, for  which  I  believe  the  technical  name  is 
'  practicality,'  which  positively  sets  one's  teeth  on 
edge." 

"  So  be  it ;  we  part  with  mutual  recriminations. 
But  this  is  my  last  word.  Firmly  as  I  believe  I 
have  committed  an  error  of  judgment,  if  to-mor- 
row you  can  prove  that  I  have  deceived  myself, 
you  will  not  find  me  ungrateful.  I  can  speak  no 
fairer;  and  this  you  must  take  for  my  apology. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  since  I  have  come 
to  know  you  I  have  ceased  to  recognize  myself." 

"  I  accept  your  amende,''  said  Northcote,  with- 
out hesitation.  "  I  see  I  have  worried  you,  but  if 
I  might  presume  to  address  advice  to  the  fount  of 
all  experience,  never,  my  dear  Mr.  Whitcomb,  at- 
tempt to  formulate  a  judgment  upon  that  which 
you  cannot  possibly  understand." 

"  After  to-morrow  there  is  a  remote  chance  that 
I  may  come  to  heed  your  advice.  In  the  meantime 
we  will  shake  hands  just  to  show  that  malice  is 
not  borne.  Don't  forget  that  you  will  be  the  first 
called  to-morrow,  at  half-past  ten.  It  is  quite 
likely  to  last  all  day." 

192 


LIFE    OR    DEATH 

The  solicitor  turned  into  his  offices  and  North- 
cote  sauntered  along  Chancery  Lane.  The  twilight 
which  had  enveloped  the  city  all  day  was  now 
yielding  to  the  authentic  hues  of  evening.  The 
dismal  street-lamps  were  already  lit,  the  gusts  of 
rain,  sleet,  and  snow  of  the  previous  night  had 
been  turned  into  a  heavy  downpour  which  had 
continued  without  intermission  since  the  morn- 
ing. The  pavements  were  bleached  by  the  action 
of  water,  but  a  miasma  arose  from  the  overbur- 
dened sewers,  whose  contents  flowed  among  the 
traffic  and  were  churned  by  its  wheels  into  a  paste 
of  black  mud.  Northcote  was  splashed  freely  with 
this  thick  slushy  mixture,  even  as  high  as  his  face, 
by  the  countless  omnibuses;  and  in  crossing  from 
one  pavement  to  another  he  had  a  narrow  escape 
from  being  knocked  down  by  a  covered  van. 

It  was  in  no  mood  of  courage  that  the  young 
man  pushed  his  way  to  his  lodgings  through  the 
traffic  and  the  elbowing  crowds  who  thronged  the 
narrow  streets.  Even  the  mental  picture  that  was 
thrown  before  his  eyes  of  this  garret  which  had 
already  devoured  his  youth  had  the  power  to  make 
him  feel  colder  than  actually  he  was.  Never  had 
he  felt  such  a  depression  in  all  the  long  term  of 
his  privation  as  now  in  wending  his  way  towards 
it  laboriously,  heavily,  with  slow-beating  pulses. 

He  was  sore,  disappointed,  angry ;  his  pride  was 
wounded  by  the  attitude  of  his  client.  His  self- 
centred  habit  caused  him  to  take  himself  so  much 
for  granted,  that  at  first  he  could  discern  no  reason 
for  this  volte-face.  In  his  view  it  was  inconsid- 
erate to  withhold  the  moral  support  of  which  at  this 
moment  he  stood  so  much  in  need.     Truly  the  lot 

193 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

of  obscurity  was  hard ;  its  penalties  were  of  a  kind 
to  bring  many  a  shudder  to  a  proud  and  sensitive 
nature.  The  patronizing  insolence  of  one  whom  he 
despised  was  beginning  to  fill  him  with  a  bootless 
rage,  yet  in  his  present  state  how  impotent  he  was 
before  it.  He  must  suffer  such  things,  and  suffer 
them  gladly,  until  that  hour  dawned  in  which  his 
powers  announced  themselves. 

That  time  was  to-morrow  —  terrible,  all-pierc- 
ing, yet  entrancing  thought!  The  measure  of  his 
talent  would  then  be  proclaimed.  Yet  all  in  an  in- 
stant, like  a  lightning-flash  shooting  through  dark- 
ness, for  the  first  time  the  true  nature  of  his  task 
was  revealed  to  him.  Doubt  took  shape,  sprang 
into  being.  Its  outline  seemed  to  loom  through 
the  dismal  shadows  cast  by  the  lamps  in  the  street. 
Who  and  what  was  he,  after  all,  in  comparison 
with  a  task  of  such  immensity?  With  startling 
and  overwhelming  force  the  solicitor's  meaning  was 
suddenly  unfolded  to  him. 

He  took  himself  for  granted  no  more.  He  must 
be  mad  to  have  gone  so  far  without  having  paused 
to  subject  himself  to  the  self-criticism  that  is  so 
salutary.  How  could  he  blame  the  solicitor  whose 
eminently  practical  mind  had  resented  this  inac- 
cessibility to  the  ordinary  rules  of  prudence?  Was 
he  not  the  veriest  novice  in  his  profession,  without 
credentials  of  any  kind?  And  yet  he  arrogated 
to  himself  the  right  to  embark  upon  a  line  of  con- 
duct that  was  in  direct  opposition  to  the  prompt- 
ings of  a  mature  judgment. 

How  could  he  have  been  so  sure  of  this  supreme 
talent?  It  had  never  been  brought  to  test.  The 
only  measure  of  it  was  his  scorn  of  others,  the 

194 


LIFE    OR    DEATH 

scorn  of  the  unsuccessful  for  those  who  have  suc- 
ceeded. The  passion  with  which  it  had  endowed 
him  was  nothing  more,  most  probably,  than  a 
monomania  of  egotism.  How  consummate  was  the 
folly  which  could  mistake  the  will  for  the  deed, 
the  vaulting  ambition  for  the  thing  itself! 

On  the  few  occasions,  some  seven  or  eight  in  all, 
in  which  he  had  turned  an  honest  guinea,  mostly 
at  the  police-court,  he  had  betrayed  no  surprising 
aptitude  for  his  profession.  There  had  been  times, 
even  in  affairs  so  trivial,  when  his  highly  strung 
nervous  organization  had  overpowered  the  will. 
He  had  not  been  exempt  from  the  commission  of 
errors;  he  recalled  with  horror  that  once  or  twice 
it  had  fallen  to  his  lot  to  be  put  out  of  counte- 
nance by  his  adversary;  while  once  at  least  he  had 
drawn  down  upon  himself  the  animadversions  of 
the  presiding  deity.  Surely  there  was  nothing  in 
this  rather  pitiful  career  to  provide  a  motive  for 
this  overweening  arrogance. 

He  grew  the  more  amazed  at  his  own  hardihood 
as  he  walked  along.  To  what  fatal  blindness  did 
he  owe  it  that  from  the  beginning  his  true  position 
had  not  been  revealed  to  him?  Where  were  the 
credentials  that  fitted  him  to  undertake  a  task  so 
stupendous  ?  What  achievement  had  he  to  his  name 
that  he  should  venture  to  launch  his  criticisms 
against  those  who  had  been  through  the  fray  and 
had  emerged  victorious?  How  could  he  have 
failed  to  appreciate  that  abstract  theory  was  never 
able  to  withstand  the  impact  of  experience!  It 
was  well  enough  in  the  privacy  of  his  garret  to 
conceive  ideas  and  to  sustain  his  faculties  with 
dreams  of  a  future  that  could  never  be,  but  once 

195 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

in  the  arena,  when  the  open-mouthed  lion  of  the 
actual  lay  in  his  path,  he  would  require  arms  more 
puissant  than  these. 

To  overcome  those  twin  dragons  Tradition  and 
Precedent,  behind  which  common  and  vulgar  minds 
entrenched  themselves  so  fearlessly,  the  sword  of 
the  sophist  would  not  avail.  It  would  snap  in  his 
fingers  at  the  first  contact  with  these  impenetrable 
hides.  His  blade  must  be  forged  of  thrice-welded 
steel  if  he  were  to  have  a  chance  on  the  morrow. 
He  had  decided  to  promulgate  like  a  second  Na- 
poleon the  doctrine  of  force,  and  for  his  only 
weapon  he  had  chosen  a  dagger  of  lath.  Well 
might  Mr.  Whitcomb  smile  with  contempt.  Where 
would  he  find  himself  if  he  dared  to  preach  the 
most  perilous  of  gospels,  if  he  could  not  support 
it  with  an  enormous  moral  and  physical  power? 

For  years  he  had  dwelt  in  a  castle  which  he  had 
built  out  of  air,  secure  in  the  belief  that  he  was  en- 
dowed in  ample  measure  with  attributes  whose 
operations  were  so  diverse  yet  so  comprehensive, 
that  in  those  rare  instances  in  which  they  were 
united  they  became  superhuman  in  their  reach.  An 
Isaiah  or  a  Cromwell  did  not  visit  the  world  once 
in  an  era.  How  dare  such  a  one  as  he  fold  his 
nakedness  in  the  sacred  mantle  of  the  gods!  It 
was  the  act  of  one  whose  folly  was  too  rank  even 
to  allow  him  to  pose  as  a  charlatan.  If  he  ven- 
tured to  deliver  one-half  of  these  astonishing  words 
he  had  prepared  for  the  delectation  of  an  honest 
British  jury,  these  flatulent  pretensions  would  be 
unveiled,  he  would  be  mocked  openly,  his  ruin 
would  be  complete  and  irretrievable. 

Never  had  irresolution  assailed  him  so  power- 
196 


LIFE    OR    DEATH 

fully.  This  review  at  the  eleventh  hour  of  the  un- 
warrantable estimate  he  had  formed  of  himself 
rendered  it  imperative  that  he  should  change  his 
plans.  The  opinion  of  others,  acknowledged  mas- 
ters of  the  profession  in  which  he  was  so  humble 
a  tyro,  was  incontrovertible.  Evidence  in  support 
of  a  perfectly  rational  plea  was  provided  for  him, 
would  be  ready  in  court.  His  client  had  demanded 
that  it  should  be  used.  To  disregard  that  demand 
would  be  to  rebuff  his  only  friend,  one  of  great 
influence  who  had  been  sent  to  his  aid  in  his  direst 
hour.  And  it  was  for  nothing  better  than  a  whim 
that  he  was  prepared  to  yield  his  all.  No  principle 
was  at  stake,  no  sacrifice  of  dignity  was  involved. 
That  which  his  patron  had  asked  of  him  was  so 
natural,  so  admirably  humane,  that  the  mere  act 
of  refusal  would  be  rendered  unpardonable  unless 
it  were  vindicated  by  complete  success.  No  other 
justification  was  possible,  not  only  in  the  eyes  of 
himself  and  in  those  of  his  client,  but  no  less  was 
exacted  of  him  by  the  hapless  creature  whose  life 
was  in  his  keeping. 

Stating  it  baldly,  let  him  fail  in  the  superhuman 
feat  which  had  been  imposed  upon  him  by  a  disease 
which  he  called  ambition,  and  this  wretched  woman 
would  expiate  his  failure  upon  the  gallows.  Had 
any  human  being  a  right  to  incur  such  a  penalty, 
a  right  to  pay  such  a  price  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
own  personal  and  private  aims  ?  The  middle  course 
was  provided  for  him.  It  would  deliver  the  ac- 
cused and  himself  from  this  intolerable  peril;  it 
opened  up  a  path  of  safety  for  them  both. 

Already  he  could  observe  with  a  scarifying  clear- 
ness, that  here  and  now,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  he 

197 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

must  defer  to  the  irresistible  impact  of  the  circum- 
stances. The  risk  was  too  grave ;  he  was  thrusting 
too  cruel  a  responsibility  upon  his  flesh  and  blood. 
He  must  hasten  to  make  terms  with  that  grossly 
material  world  of  the  hard  fact  which  he  scorned 
so  much.  He  must  submit  to  one  of  those  pitiful 
compromises  which  he  yearned  to  defy;  and  in 
so  doing  he  must  betray  a  talent  which  had  in- 
flicted indescribable  torments  upon  him. 

His  address  to  the  jury  of  his  countrymen,  that 
surprising  impromptu  prepared  at  leisure,  must  be 
given  up.  Not  a  word  could  be  used  of  this  demand 
for  an  acquittal  which  was  to  mark  an  epoch  in 
English  justice.  He  must  begin  again  on  a  lower 
note. 

Just  before  reaching  the  archway  through  which 
he  had  to  pass  to  reach  his  own  door,  he  turned 
into  a  post-office,  and  despatched  to  his  mother 
two  sovereigns  out  of  the  ten  he  had  received  from 
the  solicitor.  Enclosing  a  scrap  of  paper  with  the 
order,  he  wrote  these  words  upon  it :  "  My  first 
great  case  is  called  to-morrow.  Life  or  death  for 
Prisoner  and  Advocate  —  which?"  Having  posted 
the  letter  he  ascended  the  stairs  to  his  garret. 

He  groped  his  way  up  to  it.  Shuddering  with 
despair  he  unlocked  the  door  and  flung  it  open.  An 
impenetrable  darkness  covered  the  room.  He  stood 
on  the  threshold  searching  his  damp  clothes  for  a 
match.  He  found  a  solitary  one  sequestered  in  a 
corner  of  a  pocket;  but  all  attempts  to  strike  it 
failed.  He  then  proceeded  to  grope  his  way  for- 
ward through  the  room,  reached  the  table,  and  after 
knocking  down  several  articles  was  able  to  place  his 
hand  upon  that  which  he  sought.     He  kindled  a 

198 


LIFE    OR    DEATH 

light,  and  the  lamp  having  been  replenished  with 
oil  that  morning  was  able  to  maintain  it.  The  fire 
had  burned  out  long  ago;  all  the  coal  had  been 
used,  and  the  fresh  quantity  he  had  purchased  had 
not  arrived.  His  overcoat  was  soaked  with  rain, 
his  trousers  were  damp,  and  the  room  had  already 
become  cold.  He  rummaged  out  an  old  sweater 
that  had  stood  him  in  good  stead  in  his  football 
days,  from  a  box  beneath  the  bed,  removed  his  wet 
overcoat  and  pulled  this  garment  over  his  jacket. 
He  then  filled  his  pipe  and  sat  down  beside  the 
lamp. 


199 


XXIII 

PREPARATION 

He  had  taken  his  new  resolve  outside  in  the  rain ; 
and  it  behoved  him  now  to  utiHze  these  few  remain- 
ing hours  in  putting  it  into  shape.  Rejecting  the 
demand  for  the  Hberty  of  this  wretched  woman 
he  must  consent  to  the  verdict  being  given  against 
her,  and  place  his  hope  in  the  clemency  of  the  court. 

For  two  inexpressibly  weary  hours  he  strove 
with  clenched  lips  to  piece  together  and  elaborate 
this  new  line;  but  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  it  was 
so  dull  and  lifeless  that  the  task  seemed  beyond  him. 
Whatever  talent  he  possessed  it  was  only  too  clear 
that  so  vacillating  a  method  of  defence  was  quite 
out  of  harmony  with  its  workings.  This  way  and 
that  he  twisted  each  listless  uninspired  suggestion, 
but  at  each  laborious  attempt  it  grew  less  possible 
to  breathe  upon  their  dry  bones  and  create  them 
into  living  flesh.  These  maimed  and  halting  emen- 
dations were  as  far  removed  from  the  swift  and 
audacious  repleteness  of  the  original  as  to  express 
the  difference  between  light  and  dark. 

It  was  the  difference  between  life  and  death.  The 
one  was  informed  with  the  living  breath,  a  vital 
and  a  surprising  piece  of  art;  the  other  was  cold 
and  heavy,  a  confection  of  wormwood  and  ditch- 
water.  A  bitter  chagrin  overcame  him  when  he 
saw  all  that  his  resolve  implied.  He  would  be  sent 
into  court  dumb,  tongue-tied  —  he  with  a  philippic 

200 


PREPARATION 

against  injustice  packed  away  at  the  back  of  his 
brain.  This  would  mark  the  end  of  the  ambition 
that  had  nourished  the  fires  of  his  heart  through 
full  many  a  weary  winter's  day. 

The  new  words  would  not  glow;  they  were  so 
much  sound  without  meaning.  Yet  the  new  words 
were  the  true  words.  They  embodied  the  actual; 
they  stood  for  the  established  fact  in  its  impartial 
fearlessness;  they  were  the  servants  of  justice. 
That  the  accused  had  committed  the  crime  was  clear 
to  the  meanest  intelligence.  It  only  remained  for 
her  advocate  to  announce  her  guilt  and  to  pray  for 
mercy.  Yet  the  phrases  in  which  he  shaped  this 
bald  proposition  crept  to  his  lips  as  false,  devious, 
and  dishonorable. 

The  old  words  conceived  in  sophistry  were  burn- 
ing things,  brilliant  with  the  blood  and  flame  of 
their  emotion.  Beneath  them  paradox  itself  stood 
forth  as  but  a  subtler  knowledge.  The  accent  of 
conviction  made  these  words  resonant,  these  words 
whose  design  was  to  pervert  and  mislead.  They 
were  breaking  in  constantly  upon  the  dull  and  tor- 
tured phrases  which  he  was  striving  to  weave,  the 
insensitive  phrases  whose  function  it  was  to  embody 
immaculate  truth.  The  commonest  platitudes  were 
not  so  stale  as  these.  At  last  with  a  cry  of  rage 
he  spurned  them  vehemently  from  his  mind. 

Indeed,  the  only  purpose  that  was  served  by  these 
endeavors  was  to  prove  to  the  unhappy  advocate 
that  his  nature  must  be  allowed  to  obey  its  instincts. 
He  must  fulfil  his  destiny.  To  that  acute  intelli- 
gence it  had  come  to  seem  that  truth  and  untruth 
were  identical.  It  would  seem  to  be  bom  for  icon- 
oclasm,  for  demolition;    let  it  leave  to  less  sophis- 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ticated  minds  the  championship  of  outworn  ideas. 
In  this  whirlpool  of  doubt  in  which  he  was  en- 
gulfed, his  ideals,  his  instincts,  all  those  mental 
resources  which  garnish  with  dignity  the  most  pro- 
tean character,  seemed  to  break  from  their  moor- 
ings; and  in  the  very  frenzy  of  this  wreck  of  his 
stability,  there  returned  upon  him  in  the  guise  of 
one  of  those  paradoxes  which  had  become  so  fatal, 
a  newer,  a  franker,  a  more  vital  conception  of  his 
power. 

There  returned  in  its  train  the  arrogance  of  his 
quality.  It  was  not  for  one  of  the  blood  royal  to 
submit  to  dictation  from  the  mediocrity  it  despised. 
Its  right  was  inalienable  to  obey  the  forces  within 
itself.  He  had  felt  from  the  first  that  it  was  in 
his  power  to  save  this  woman;  the  attorney's 
doubts  had  intervened  and  for  a  time  had  over- 
thrown his  faith;  but  now  he  had  come  to  believe 
it  again.  The  thing  called  "  experience,"  that  eter- 
nal standby  of  the  vulgar,  was  a  mere  tawdry  sub- 
stitute for  intuition  in  the  inferior  orders.  A  great 
talent  incorporated  experience  within  itself.  He 
must  suffer  no  qualm  on  the  score  of  his  youth, 
his  absence  of  laurels.  After  all,  this  brief  had  been 
evoked  by  the  exercise  of  an  imperious  will  in  a 
magic  hour;  had  he  not  an  immemorial  right  to 
use  it  as  he  chose?  Let  him  obey  the  divine  fac- 
ulty that  had  carried  him  so  far,  and  then  if  fail 
he  must,  at  least  his  failure  would  be  worthy  of 
himself.  It  was  proper  for  common  minds,  desti- 
tute of  all  force  and  originality,  to  subscribe  to  the 
conventions  which  they  set  up  to  protect  themselves. 
Custom,  usage,  the  accretions  of  centuries  may  even 
hallow  and  exalt  them  until  they  assume  the  guise 

202 


PREPARATION 

of  religions,  but  these  simulations  have  nothing  to 
say  to  the  royal  among  their  kind. 

This  powerful  impulse,  whose  impact  upon  the 
mind  of  the  advocate  was  almost  terrible,  merged 
the  surroundings  in  itself.  Time  and  place  were 
obliterated;  the  evening  was  imperceptibly  eaten 
away.  The  clocks  of  the  neighborhood  gave  out 
the  hour  of  midnight  just  as  Northcote,  gasping, 
with  all  the  breath  driven  out  of  his  body,  emerged 
from  the  vortex  to  grasp  his  final  decision.  For 
six  hours  he  had  not  been  sufficiently  accessible  to 
the  external  to  heed  the  hours  as  they  struck.  But 
now,  as  the  long-drawn  strokes  announced  a  new 
day,  a  thrill  of  excitement  convulsed  his  being. 
The  day  of  all  days  was  at  hand.  He  was  stand- 
ing on  the  very  threshold  of  the  issue.  The  dread 
future  was  about  to  roll  back  its  veil.  Such  an 
emotion  was  cast  upon  him  that  he  began  to  trem- 
ble as  violently  as  when  he  had  driven  with  Mr. 
Whitcomb  to  the  prison. 

He  supposed  that  the  chime  of  these  clocks  would 
penetrate  the  walls  behind  which  the  unhappy 
woman  was  lying  awake.  She  also  must  be  trem- 
bling violently.  Doubtless  the  poisoner  and  pros- 
titute was  dreaming  again  of  her  deliverer.  The 
idea  overcame  him  with  a  curious  poignancy  which, 
horrible  as  it  was,  was  yet  touched  with  ecstasy. 

This  was  a  creature  who  must  expect  no  mercy 
from  the  Pharisee;  yet  the  living  woman  had  a 
power  within  herself  to  arouse  a  desire  for  it  in 
one  who  pretended  to  no  exalted  sympathy  with 
his  species.  In  their  interview  in  the  prison  he  had 
discerned  nothing  of  vileness  about  her.  And  he 
was  fain  to  believe  that  she  had  dreamed  in  sober 

203 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

verity  of  her  advocate  the  previous  night.  Conjur- 
ing up  this  memorable  interview,  which  yet  re- 
mained so  colorless  that  it  seemed  to  have  happened 
only  to  the  soul,  the  haunting  low  tones  began  to 
speak  through  the  silence  of  his  room;  and  with 
an  impulse  of  joy  that  banished  the  horror  of  their 
insistency  he  responded  to  the  accents  of  their 
truth. 

A  living  voice  had  entered  the  room.  It  was 
the  same  voice,  and  yet  so  much  more  resonant 
than  the  one  he  had  heard  in  the  prison.  The 
senses  of  the  advocate  were  strung  to  a  point  so 
perilous  that  the  luminous  figure  of  a  woman  ap- 
peared before  them.  This  was  she  who  had  hud- 
dled away  into  the  shadows  of  the  jail.  The  lamp 
on  the  table,  which  with  so  much  difficulty  melted 
the  gloom  within  the  area  of  its  influence,  framed 
her  contour  with  a  kind  of  weird  delicacy.  Her 
figure  was  veiled  in  a  soft  plasticity;  it  was  that 
of  one  who  was  in  despair ;  yet  it  had  all  the  simple 
trust  of  her  sex,  which  it  exhibits  at  those  supreme 
moments  when  nothing  is  left  to  it  save  to  kneel 
and  to  embrace  its  faith.  It  was  a  figure  such  as 
this  that  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  mouth  of 
the  cave  and  discovered  that  the  body  of  Jesus  was 
not  there. 

During  the  interview  the  young  advocate  had 
known  and  understood  little,  but  now,  under  the 
spell  of  his  passion,  an  ampler  knowledge  enfolded 
him  in  its  mantle.  It  is  not  until  we  look  down 
upon  them  from  the  altitude  of  some  momentous 
phase,  that  those  moments  which  are  destined  to  as- 
sume a  permanence  in  our  lives  become  crystallized 
into  our  mental  history.     The  terror  and  the  reti- 

204 


PREPARATION 

cence  of  this  pitiable  creature  had  pierced  him  like 
a  sword,  yet  it  was  not  until  this  remote  hour  that 
Northcote  understood  the  miracle  they  had  wrought 
in  his  nature. 

She  must  once  have  been  fair  under  the  eyes  of 
the  sun;  once  slender,  gracious,  inhabited  by  chas- 
tity. Her  voice  proclaimed  a  history  that  must 
have  been  inexpressibly  grievous.  Yet  the  desire 
for  life  was  in  her  still.  She  was  not  prepared  to 
yield  her  interest  in  the  mystery.  Her  words  were 
memorable:  she  had  never  understood  anything 
until  she  was  brought  into  prison.  Was  it  not  meet 
that  this  daughter  of  a  hundred  inhumanities  should 
now  call  to  be  released  from  the  doom  her  fellows 
had  prepared  for  her.  "  I  know  you  will  save  me, 
my  deliverer,"  were  the  words  he  still  heard;  and 
they  came  upon  his  ear  with  more  of  authenticity 
than  when  they  first  fell  from  those  indescribable 
lips. 

He  rose  from  the  chair  in  which  he  had  been 
immersed  so  many  hours.  He  was  shuddering  in 
every  vein.  His  fingers  and  limbs  were  petrified 
with  the  coldness  of  the  room;  his  damp  trousers 
were  inflicting  his  ankles  with  rheumatic  pains. 
So  stiff  were  his  limbs  through  remaining  in  one 
position  for  so  long,  that  it  cost  him  labor  to  cross 
the  room  and  open  the  window. 

He  thrust  out  his  head  and  a  rush  of  icy  air 
saluted  his  temples.  The  rain  had  ceased;  the 
clouds  had  dispersed;  the  heavens,  charged  with 
a  keen  frost,  were  studded  thickly  with  little  dark 
blue  stars.  Peering  towards  them  eagerly  North- 
cote tried  to  decipher  the  names  and  positions  of 
these  meaningless  heads,  until  at  last  he  came  upon 

20$ 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

one  which  was  larger  and  brighter  than  the  rest. 
He  was  convinced  that  its  locaHty  would  render 
it  plainly  visible  from  the  windows  of  the  prison. 
He  fixed  his  gaze  upon  it  with  great  intensity;  he 
knew  the  occupant  of  the  prison  had  climbed  up 
to  peer  at  it  through  the  bars  of  her  cell. 

Although  he  had  spent  the  previous  night  with- 
out entering  a  bed,  nothing  would  have  enabled  his 
thoughts  to  seek  sanctuary  in  sleep.  The  incan- 
descent fervor  of  his  mind  would  not  allow  him 
to  repose;  and  although  a  few  hours  hence  he 
would  have  to  draw  upon  every  spark  of  physical 
energy  he  possessed,  he  had  no  fear  of  his  bodily 
limitations.  He  had  the  immense  vitality  of  those 
demigods  among  their  kind,  for  whom  no  ascent 
is  too  precipitous.  He  spent  some  time  in  vigorous 
gymnastic  exercises  to  drive  the  congealed  blood 
through  his  veins;  and  this  accomplished,  he  felt 
his  strength  return. 

He  passed  the  remaining  portion  of  the  night  in 
pacing  his  room,  with  a  pipe  fixed  in  his  teeth  and 
his  hands  thrust  beneath  his  white  jersey  into  the 
pockets  of  his  trousers.  Occasionally  he  ceased 
these  peregrinations  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time, 
in  order  to  write  down  some  of  the  sentences  as 
they  took  shape  in  his  mind.  He  desired  to  give 
himself  the  aesthetic  pleasure  of  seeing  how  they 
looked  on  paper.  Yet  he  did  not  propose  to  bestow 
a  literal  preparation  on  this  address,  since  he  had 
sufficient  confidence  in  his  fecundity  of  expression 
to  speak  extempore  and  yet  expect  adequately  to 
traverse  the  scheme  he  had  planned.  Words 
charged  with  emotion  springing  fresh  and  tingling 
from  the  mist  would  increase  their  appeal  by  being 

206 


PREPARATION 

thrown  off  in  the  actual  impulse  by  which  they 
were  created. 

When  at  last  the  old  charwoman  arrived  at  half- 
past  seven  she  was  astonished  to  discover  North- 
cote  walking  about  the  room  looking  wild  and 
haggard  and  declaiming  passages  of  the  peroration. 
He  sent  her  out  to  borrow  some  coal;  and  when 
she  returned  with  it  and  proceeded  to  make  a  fire, 
he  ordered  as  on  the  previous  day  what  they  both 
considered  to  be  a  sumptuous  breakfast.  While 
this  was  preparing  he  retired  to  fit  himself  for  that 
ordeal  to  which  he  would  so  soon  be  called. 

Even  now,  however,  a  palsy  was  on  his  limbs, 
a  fever  in  his  blood.  In  the  delicate  operation  of 
shaving  he  was  unable  to  conduct  the  razor  firmly, 
and  cut  his  chin  repeatedly.  It  was  with  infinite 
difficulty  that  he  could  render  himself  presentable 
after  the  various  gashes  it  had  undergone.  After 
expending  not  less  than  an  hour  on  his  toilet,  and 
conferring  as  much  respectability  upon  his  person 
as  lies  within  the  province  of  soap  and  water  and 
clean  linen,  he  sat  down  at  the  table  hungry  and 
cold  yet  consumed  with  excitement. 

"  Mrs.  Brown,"  he  said  to  the  old  woman,  "  I 
forgot  to  ask  about  that  small  grandchild  of 
yours." 

"  She  is  dead,  sir." 

"I  am  very  sorry.     When  did  this  occur?" 

"  Last  night,  sir,  about  twelve.  It  is  one  mouth 
less  to  feed,  as  you  might  say,  but  I  think  it  might 
have  been  my  own." 

**  But  then  there  would  have  been  no  means  of 
feeding  the  others." 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  was  a  wrong  expression,"  said  the 
207 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

old  woman  in  her  precise  manner.     "  It  was  not 
what  I  meant  to  have  said." 

"  Well,  come  now,"   said   Northcote,   "  suppose 
you  try  to  eat  some  breakfast." 


208 


XXIV 

THE  TRIAL 

The  old  woman  took  her  seat  at  the  table  obedi- 
ently, but  with  a  bewilderment  as  great  as  on  the 
previous  day.  It  was  very  strange  that  incidents 
such  as  these  should  arise  to  embellish  her  servi- 
tude. 

This  morning,  however,  she  was  not  tormented 
with  a  string  of  questions.  Northcote  was  silent, 
gloomy,  and  haggard;  something  appeared  to  be 
preying  on  his  mind.  The  remorse  he  had  shown 
for  having  failed  to  ask  how  her  grandchild  was 
seemed  strange  to  her  indeed,  for  until  the  previous 
day  he  had  always  stood  in  her  mind  as  a  member 
of  the  inaccessible  classes.  Something  had  ap- 
peared to  happen  to  him  by  which,  in  a  few  short 
hours,  the  tenor  and  current  of  his  life  had  been 
changed.  There  was  a  terrible  excitement  burning 
now  under  his  pale  skin;  his  eyes  were  restless, 
his  fingers  were  twitching,  and  he  drank  cup  after 
cup  of  the  hot  tea  as  though  he  were  consumed 
with  an  intolerable  thirst. 

When  he  had  finished  his  breakfast  he  took  his 
wig  and  gown  out  of  a  cupboard,  and  placed  them 
together  with  his  brief  in  a  small  black  bag.  He 
was  on  the  point  of  starting  for  the  court,  when 
through  the  open  door  he  could  hear  footsteps  on 
the  stairs.  Some  one  was  coming  up  to  the  fourth 
story,  an  incident  so  rare  in  the  experience  of  its 

209 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

occupant  as  always  to  be  rendered  memorable.  In 
an  instant  the  jovial  outline  of  the  solicitor  pre- 
sented itself  to  his  imagination.  With  an  agitation 
that  was  indescribable  he  foresaw  that  he  was  not 
to  be  allowed  to  take  the  brief  into  court  after 
all. 

Instead  of  Mr.  Whitcomb,  however,  his  visitor 
proved  to  be  a  boy  with  a  telegram.  He  tore  it 
out  of  its  envelope.  The  contents  were  contained 
in  three  words :  "  Life,  my  son."  They  were  from 
his  mother. 

With  this  omen  in  his  heart  he  set  forth.  A 
welcome  change  had  taken  place  in  the  weather. 
The  air  had  become  sharp  and  dry;  already  misty 
beams  were  stealing  out  from  the  December  sun. 
The  press  in  the  streets  was  immense,  but  he 
brushed  through  it  with  the  elevating  conscious- 
ness that  he  was  overcoming  a  real  obstacle.  In 
his  every  fibre  was  the  breath  of  contest,  the  joy 
of  battle.  His  mother's  words,  the  faint  beams 
of  the  new  day,  the  rattle  of  the  traffic,  all  con- 
spired to  endow  him  with  a  ruthless  determination. 

If  it  was  to  be  that  defeat  and  confusion  should 
overtake  him,  at  least  he  would  not  go  out  to  greet 
them  half-way.  Once  and  for  all  he  had  put  off 
those  fears  and  misgivings  that  had  tormented  him. 
A  great  commander  storming  an  inaccessible  posi- 
tion does  not  pause  to  estimate  the  cost;  he  does 
not  pause  to  contemplate  the  inevitability  of  dis- 
aster. He,  too,  would  show  himself  of  this  quality: 
a  great  commander  of  his  lurid  and  revolted  imag- 
ination in  the  teeth  of  frightful  odds. 

He  arrived  at  the  Old  Bailey  at  a  quarter-past 
ten.    He  did  not  allow  himself  to  glance  at  its  pro- 

2IO 


THE    TRIAL 

file,  nor  did  he  permit  his  mind  to  be  distracted  by 
one  of  the  thousand  details,  common,  depressing, 
and  of  no  significance  in  themselves,  yet  likely  to 
be  so  ominous  in  their  effect  on  high-strung  nerves. 
He  passed  from  the  barristers'  robing-room  as  soon 
as  he  could,  for  beyond  everything  he  v^ished  to 
avoid  contact  with  his  kind.  Yet  to  the  majority 
of  those  within  its  precincts  he  was  not  even  known 
by  name;  and  he  felt  himself  to  be  looked  on 
askance  by  all  as  a  solitary,  queer-headed  fellow. 

On  entering  the  court  he  used  great  care  in  select- 
ing his  seat.  It  was  in  a  situation  from  which  he 
felt  he  could  command  the  attention  of  all  present ; 
from  which  the  jury  would  lose  nothing  of  what 
he  presented  to  it,  and  yet  be  sufficiently  removed 
to  be  unable  to  discern  the  more  intimate  workings 
of  his  personality.  Oratory  like  music  demands  a 
certain  space  and  distance  in  which  and  at  which 
to  reveal  itself.  Before  taking  his  seat  he  looked 
all  around  him  into  every  part  of  the  building,  in 
order  that  he  might  familiarize  himself  with  that 
which  lay  about  him.  Every  seat  allotted  to  the 
public  was  already  in  its  occupation;  the  nature  of 
the  charge  was  itself  sufficient  to  stimulate  its  curi- 
osity in  the  highest  degree.  Among  the  members 
of  the  bar  the  interest  was  not  so  great.  There 
was  said  to  be  no  defence  worthy  of  the  name; 
the  crime  was  of  a  common  kind,  presenting  neither 
rare  nor  curious  features;  the  absence  of  Tobin, 
the  most  brilliant  common  law  advocate  among  the 
younger  men,  had  become  known;  and  the  case 
was  expected  to  be  disposed  of  without  difficulty. 
Its  main  interest  in  the  eyes  of  the  junior  bar  cen- 
tred around  the  man  who  had  been  asked  to  conduct 

211 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

the  defence.  That  one  so  obscure  as  Northcote 
should  have  been  chosen  to  fill  the  place  of  Tobin 
in  a  murder  case  was  one  of  those  unexpected  things 
which  furnished  a  theme  for  the  critic's  function; 
a  function  which  the  majority  of  those  in  their 
robes  on  the  benches  felt  eminently  qualified  to 
undertake. 

Many  were  surprised,  some  were  a  little  grieved, 
and  the  ambitious  were  rather  disconcerted  that 
Northcote  should  be  entrusted  with  a  brief  of  this 
nature.  Obscure  as  he  was  in  practice,  he  had  ac- 
quired a  kind  of  reputation  at  the  bar  mess  as  one 
who  was  singularly  unsocial  in  his  habits.  As  the 
brief  in  the  first  instance  had  been  marked  with 
a  figure  large  enough  to  command  the  services  of 
Tobin,  the  defence  could  not  be  wholly  destitute 
of  means.  It  was  strange  that  a  firm  so  notoriously 
astute  as  Whitcomb  and  Whitcomb  should  have 
handed  it  to  one  of  no  experience  when  the  ex- 
tremely able  counsel  they  had  retained  originally 
had  been  compelled  to  throw  up  the  case.  There 
was  quite  a  number  assembled  in  that  court  who 
were  far  more  competent  to  deal  with  it  than  this 
young  and  unknown  practitioner.  In  the  opinion  of 
many,  this  circumstance  was  taken  as  the  clearest 
indication  of  all  that  the  case  had  no  life  in  it. 

Hardly  had  Northcote  taken  his  seat  in  the  court 
when  he  felt  a  hand  on  his  shoulder;  it  belonged 
to  Mr.  Whitcomb. 

"  No  nonsense,  now,"  he  said  anxiously.  "  The 
witnesses  are  here,  and  we  shall  expect  you  to  call 
them." 

"  It  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  alter  my  line 
at  the  last  moment,"  said  Northcote,  while  every 

212 


THE    TRIAL 

nerve  he  had  in  his  body  seemed  to  be  ticking  furi- 
ously. "  Besides,"  he  added,  in  a  hoarse  whisper, 
''  don't  you  see  that  if  they  are  not  called  I  shall 
get  the  last  word  with  the  jury,  as  the  attorney  is 
not  in  the  case  ?  " 

"  Pray,  what  is  the  use  of  that?  What  will  that 
do  for  you?  " 

*'  You  must  wait  and  see,"  said  the  young  man, 
with  a  red  haze  before  his  eyes. 

"  My  dear  fellow,  I  must  insist  on  your  calling 
the  witnesses." 

"  It  is  impossible,"  said  the  young  man,  in  a 
voice  the  solicitor  could  hardly  hear. 

''  Really,  you  know,  this  is  carrying  things  too 
far." 

"  I  would  to  God,"  exclaimed  the  young  advo- 
cate, with  his  voice  breaking  in  the  middle  in  the 
queerest  manner,  "  you  had  never  retained  me  at 
all!" 

This  outburst  of  petulance  conferred  upon  the 
solicitor  a  renewed  sense  of  the  young  man's  situ- 
ation. 

''  Well,  well,'*  he  rejoined,  with  a  certain  kind- 
ness, "  I  suppose  you  must  do  as  you  please.  A  case 
is  not  over  until  a  verdict's  brought  in.  But  the 
witnesses  are  here — -if  you  change  mind." 

The  young  advocate  turned  his  haggard  face  and 
bloodshot  eyes  upon  his  monitor,  but  his  rejoinder, 
whatever  its  nature,  was  banished  from  his  lips  by 
the  entrance  of  the  judge.  Almost  in  the  same 
instant  the  prisoner  was  put  up.  She  was  called 
upon  at  once  to  plead  to  the  indictment,  "  for  that 
she  was  accused  of  the  wilful  murder  of  Thomas 
Henry  Barron  upon  the  12th  of  September."     In 

213 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

a  voice  that  was  scarcely  audible  she  pleaded,  "  I 
am  not  guilty." 

The  jury  was  sworn  immediately,  and  justice 
proceeded  on  its  course  with  considerable  expedi- 
tion. The  case  presented  no  feature  that  was  war- 
ranted to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  legal  mind. 
The  woman's  guilt  was  indisputable ;  it  was  known 
that  the  defence  had  nothing  material  to  advance; 
and  even  had  it  been  placed  more  fortunately,  it 
was  unlikely  to  be  marshalled  to  advantage  in  its 
present  hands.  The  judge  and  the  counsel  for  the 
Treasury  were  at  one  in  their  eagerness  to  press 
the  opportunity  of  getting  the  case  through,  since 
every  few  minutes  they  could  rest  from  the  course 
of  the  public  business  was  inexpressibly  dear  to 
their  hearts.  They  would  be  able  to  get  off  to  a 
week-end  in  the  country  by  an  earlier  train. 

Mr.  Weekes,  K.  C,  who  led  for  the  Treasury, 
commenced  briskly  and  volubly  without  the  delay 
of  a  moment.  He  was  a  small,  thin  man,  with  very 
straight  and  attenuated  hair,  sandy  in  color,  and 
a  pair  of  side-whiskers.  A  pair  of  gold  pince-nez 
suspended  by  a  cord  contrived  by  some  means  to 
add  to  the  quickness  and  irascibility  of  his  frequent 
gestures.  His  voice  was  keen  and  piercing  and 
somewhat  metallic  in  sound;  his  language  had 
great  facility  but  no  distinction;  his  delivery  was 
rapid ;  but  manner,  diction,  appearance,  were  equally 
destitute  of  style. 

In  opening  the  case  to  the  jury,  this  expert  occu- 
pied less  than  an  hour.  He  unfolded  the  nature 
of  the  charge  in  easy,  fluent,  almost  deprecating 
terms.  It  amounted  to  this:  the  accused,  whose 
reticence  in  regard  to  her  antecedents  was  impene- 

214 


THE    TRIAL 

trable,  and  whose  age  appeared  on  the  charge-sheet 
as  thirty-nine,  had  for  several  years  past  cohabited 
with  the  deceased,  who  had  followed  the  profession 
of  a  book-maker. 

It  was  known  that  previous  to  this  she  had  lived 
the  life  of  the  streets.  It  would  be  shown  by  sev- 
eral of  her  associates,  who  would  be  called  in  evi- 
dence—  women  like  herself  of  ill-fame  —  that 
during  the  last  year  in  which  she  had  lived  with 
this  man,  she  had  more  than  once  been  heard  to 
express  the  determination  ''  to  do  for  him."  It 
would  appear  that  the  man,  although  said  to  treat 
her  well  enough  at  first,  had  latterly  evinced  signs 
of  growing  tired  of  her.  Further,  he  was  a  man 
of  intemperate  habits,  and  on  many  occasions  she 
had  been  heard  to  complain  with  bitterness  of  his 
violence  and  brutality  towards  her. 

The  accused  had  been  aware  that  by  the  man's 
will  a  sum  of  money  had  been  left  to  her.  She  had 
often,  when  in  drink  particularly,  to  which  she  also 
was  addicted,  mentioned  this  fact  boastfully  to  her 
associates ;  and  a  few  days  prior  to  the  commission 
of  the  crime  had  asserted  in  the  presence  of  three 
of  them,  "  that  if  she  did  not  mind  what  she  was 
about  she  would  lose  it,  as  he  was  always  threaten- 
ing to  leave  her." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  tenth  of  September  she 
purchased  a  quantity  of  vegetable  poison  of  a  chem- 
ist. On  the  evening  of  the  eleventh  the  man  sat 
up  drinking  heavily  into  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning;  and  at  noon  on  the  twelfth  he  expired 
in  the  presence  of  a  doctor,  who  had  been  fetched 
by  a  maid  servant,  although  the  woman  herself 
had  done  her  best  to  prevent  a  doctor  from  being 

215 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

summoned.  In  the  doctor's  opinion  the  symptoms 
pointed  to  death  by  poisoning.  A  post-mortem 
was  held  the  same  afternoon;  as  the  result  of  it 
the  woman  was  taken  into  custody,  the  house  was 
searched,  and  a  quantity  of  strychnine  was  found 
concealed  in  her  bedroom.  Subsequently  the  con-, 
tents  of  the  man's  stomach  was  submitted  to  a  pub- 
lic analyst;  and  in  his  evidence  he  would  testify 
to  the  presence  of  strychnine  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  cause  death. 

This  was  the  case  for  the  Crown.  Evidence  was 
called  in  corroboration;  first  the  detective  who  had 
taken  the  woman  into  custody,  and  another  who 
had  discovered  the  poison.  These  were  examined 
briefly  by  Mr.  Topott,  the  junior  counsel  for  th*e 
Treasury.  The  doctors  then  described  the  cause  of 
death  and  the  result  of  the  post-mortem ;  and  these 
were  confirmed  in  their  opinion  by  the  analyst  when 
he  came  to  describe  the  result  of  his  researches. 
All  of  these  were  soon  disposed  of,  as  Northcote 
did  not  attempt  a  word  in  cross-examination. 

Two  of  the  members  of  the  junior  bar,  young 
men  and  critical,  who  were  not  disinclined  to  see 
a  personal  affront  in  Northcote's  preferment,  were 
not  slow  to  note  his  passiveness,  and  to  add  it  to 
the  estimate  they  had  already  formed  of  his  in- 
capacity. 

"  I  never  saw  a  fellow  look  in  such  a  funk,"  said 
the  first  of  these  gentlemen,  one  who  had  been  nur- 
tured in  an  atmosphere  of  wealth  and  influence,  and 
himself  a  former  president  of  the  Oxford  Union. 
"  The  case  will  be  over  by  lunch." 

"  They  are  not  wasting  much  time,  certainly," 
«aid  his  friend,  the  son  of  the  Master  of  the  Rolls. 

216 


THE    TRIAL 

Two  maid  servants  were  called  in  evidence,  and 
examined  by  Mr.  Topott  with  the  same  convincing 
brevity  as  the  previous  witnesses.  Here  again 
Northcote  refrained  from  cross-examination. 

"  Ought  to  do  something,"  whispered  the  ex- 
president  in  the  ear  of  his  friend.  "  Missing  oppor- 
tunities. Why  don't  he  ask  if  she  saw  it  admin- 
istered?" 

The  chemist's  assistant  who  had  supplied  the 
poison,  and  who  had  identified  the  portion  found 
in  the  possession  of  the  accused  as  part  of  that 
which  had  been  sold  to  her,  also  escaped  without  a 
challenge.  Five  of  her  female  associates  were  then 
called  one  after  another.  Their  evidence  was  ex- 
tremely damning.  With  the  skilled  aid  of  the 
junior  counsel  for  the  Crown,  every  rag  of  decency 
was  stripped  from  the  woman  in  the  dock.  She 
stood  forth  a  veritable  harpy  and  monster,  several 
shades  more  infamous  than  themselves.  As  one 
after  another  of  these  witnesses  was  permitted  to 
stand  down  without  being  subjected  to  the  ordeal 
of  cross-examination,  the  ex-president  of  the  Ox- 
ford Union  was  moved  to  express  his  personal  dis- 
appointment. 

"  Something  might  have  been  done  with  these, 
at  any  rate." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,"  said  his  friend ;  "  but 
what's  the  good,  after  all.  It  is  a  waste  of  time  to 
say  anything." 

"  There  is  no  defence,  I  am  told." 

"  He  will  call  evidence  to  show  that  she  was  sub- 
ject to  violent  fits  of  passion  when  in  drink." 

"  Ah,  that  is  where  Tobin  will  be  missed.  Really, 
one  is  surprised  at  Whitcomb  and  Whitcomb." 

217 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  They  saw  the  futility  of  fighting,  and  are  doing 
it  on  the  cheap." 

"  Poor  brute !  But  I  don't  altogether  agree  with 
you.  Something  might  have  been  done  by  a  man 
of  ability.  I  should  like  to  have  seen,  Tobin  in 
it." 

"  I  don't  think  Tobin  would  have  attempted  to 
touch  their  witnesses.  We  must  wait  till  he  calls 
his  own  to  see  what  he  is  worth." 

At  this  moment,  however,  those  who  had  con- 
ducted this  secret  conversation  had  their  curiosity 
gratified  by  the  spectacle  of  Northcote  rising  for 
the  first  time.  He  got  up  heavily  and  wearily,  as 
though  age  had  stricken  him  in  every  joint.  His 
face  was  almost  painful  in  its  pallor.  The  last 
"  unfortunate  "  had  just  made  her  half-audible  re- 
ply to  the  final  question  that  had  been  put  to  her 
by  the  amiable  Mr.  Topott. 

"  I  believe  you  said  you  had  been  acquainted  ten 
years  with  the  accused  ?  "  said  Northcote,  in  a  voice 
that  was  curiously  low  and  gentle. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  During  that  period  you  had  known  her  many 
times  to  be  under  the  influence  of  drink  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Would  you  say  that  drink  excited  her  easily?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  That  a  very  small  quantity  was  sufficient  to  ex- 
cite her?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  that  when  in  this  condition  she  was  in- 
clined to  be  very  free  in  her  speech  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Also  she  had  a  tendency  to  make  use  of  expres- 
218 


THE    TRIAL 

sions  that  she  was  never  known  to  permit  herself 
when  perfectly  sober  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  The  same  would  apply  to  her  statements  when 
in  this  excited  condition  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"They  were  obvious  exaggerations?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  some  were  pure  inventions  ?  You  knew 
they  were  wholly  untrue  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  and  her  other  friends  were  well  acquainted 
with  her  habit  of  giving  way  to  exaggeration,  and 
even  to  palpable  untruth  when  under  the  influence 
of  drink?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  The  habit  was  so  well  known  that  it  was  amus- 
ing to  you?  You  have  often  laughed  about  it 
among  yourselves  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  were  known  to  say  yourself  on  one  occa- 
sion when  she  was  what  you  call  particularly 
*  merry,'  '  Emma  would  do  for  anybody  on  a  quar- 
tern of  gin  '  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  saying 
that?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Your  meaning  was  that  when  your  friend  had 
had  that  quantity  of  alcohol  the  airs  of  bravado 
she  assumed  were  quite  ridiculously  out  of  keeping 
with  her  character  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  the  point  of  your  saying  lay  in  the  fact 
219 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

that  whether  your  friend  had  had  drink  or  whether 
she  had  not,  her  character  was  so  soft  and  gentle 
that  you  could  not  conceive  her  to  be  capable  of 
hurting  anybody  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  She  has  been  your  friend  for  ten  years  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Throughout  that  period  you  have  found  her 
to  be  generous,  kind,  impulsive,  lovable  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

**  No  one's  enemy  save  her  own  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

''  Had  it  ever  seemed  possible  to  you  that  if  she 
was  capable  of  the  commission  of  this  atrocious 
crime  of  which  she  stands  accused,  she  could  never 
have  enjoyed  the  ten  years  of  your  friendship,  nor 
the  ten  years  of  affection  you  lavished  on  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

*'  It  was  no  wish  of  your  own  that  brought  you 
to  this  court  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Indeed,  you  cannot  say  you  came  here  of  your 
own  free  will  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  were  brought  here  under  compulsion  ?  " 

''  Yes,  sir." 

"  Without  that  compulsion  nothing  would  have 
induced  you  to  come  here,  and  stand  in  this  box, 
and  speak  words  which  might  be  used  to  hurt  your 
friend?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

The  witness  had  been  weeping  softly  for  some 
time.  Her  emotion,  which  in  the  circumstances  was 
natural,  was  also  felt  to  be  a  tribute  to  the  exam- 

220 


THE    TRIAL 

ining  counsel.  The  gentleness  of  a  voice  which 
touched  the  chord  of  pathos  in  every  phrase  it  ut- 
tered without  betraying  a  consciousness  that  it  did 
so,  invested  a  series  of  tame  and  unfruitful  ques- 
tions with  an  aesthetic  quality  which  even  the  least 
educated  of  those  present  could  appreciate. 

At  this  point,  however,  Mr.  Weekes  rose 
brusquely  and  tartly  with  an  objection.  His  friend 
had  trespassed  beyond  the  privilege  of  counsel. 
The  objection  was  upheld  by  the  judge,  who  with 
a  kind  of  courteous  acerbity  informed  Northcote 
in  some  very  harmonious  diction  that  he  would  do 
well  to  put  his  question  in  another  form. 

"  I  will  do  so,  my  lord,"  said  the  young  man, 
with  admirable  composure  and  raising  his  voice  a 
little. 

"  You  were  forced  to  come  here  by  the  police  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  In  whom  you  stand  in  great  fear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  are  compelled  to  do  all  that  they  require 
of  you?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  when  they  take  one  of  your  friends  to 
prison,  and  they  come  to  you  and  suggest  words 
that  she  may  have  used  to  you  when  she  was  not 
in  a  condition  to  weigh  them,  you  know  very  well 
that  whatever  your  own  feeling  is  in  the  matter, 
you  must  say  nothing,  and  you  must  do  nothing 
that  is  likely  to  displease  the  police  ?  " 

A  more  emphatic  protest  was  entered  at  this  point 
by  the  counsel  for  the  Crown.  It  was  upheld  by 
the  judge  with  an  equal  access  of  emphasis.  North- 
cote accepted  the  ruling  with  the  nicely  poised  ur- 

221 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

banity  with  which  he  had  received  the  previous  one; 
yet  in  the  act  of  doing  so  he  contrived,  as  if  by  an 
accident,  to  let  his  gaunt  eyes  alight  on  the  jury.  It 
was  followed  by  a  smile  which  crept  over  his  hag- 
gard cheeks;  and  this  was  conveyed  to  each  of 
them  personally,  as  though  he  were  covering  a  re- 
treat with  a  little  apology.  Yet  it  was  all  contrived 
so  delicately  that  it  required  a  certain  fineness  of 
perception  to  notice  it. 

buring  the  next  few  minutes  these  objections 
were  frequent.  They  were  raised  with  an  ever- 
increasing  vehemence  by  the  counsel  for  the  Crown, 
were  embodied  with  an  ever-increasing  acerbity  and 
sternness  by  the  judge,  and  were  received  by  the 
counsel  for  the  defence  with  a  deferential  patience, 
the  ironical  side  of  which  was  immediately  exposed 
by  the  next  question  he  put  to  the  witness,  and  also 
by  the  concentrated  manner  in  which  he  smiled  at 
the  jury.  After  a  perfect  rain  of  objections,  which 
for  the  purposes  of  our  narrative  must  hencefor- 
ward be  taken  as  granted,  the  leader  for  the  Crown 
could  stand  the  carefully  elaborated  audacity  of 
this  unknown  tyro  no  longer.    He  lost  his  temper. 

"  Mr.  —  er  —  er,"  he  said,  referring  to  a  paper 
for  the  name,  **  Mr.  Thornton,  you  have  no  need  to 
keep  smiling  at  the  jury  in  that  way." 

Northcote  turned  to  face  his  adversary  with  a  de- 
liberation that  astonished  the  bar,  and  even  caused 
a  grim  flicker  to  play  about  the  mouth  of  the 
judge. 

"  I  trust,  Mr.  Weekes,"  he  said,  "  you  will  with- 
draw your  objection  to  these  amenities.  If  you  do 
not,  I  feel  sure  his  lordship  will  be  bound  to  uphold 
it.     And  if,  Mr.  Weekes,  I  might  urge  you  to  be 

222 


THE    TRIAL 

patient,  I  can  promise  that  your  time  to  receive 
them  will  arrive." 

The  measured  dryness  of  the  young"  man's  man- 
ner set  the  bar  in  a  twitter. 

"  Damn  his  young  eyes/'  said  a  barrister  of  ele- 
phantine proportions  on  the  back  bench  to  a  col- 
league ;  "  two  birds  with  one  stone.  I  shall  stand 
him  a  bottle.    I  like  his  mug." 

The  opinion  of  the  ex-president  of  the  Oxford 
Union  was  less  favorable. 

"  Funny  chap,  isn't  he  ? "  drawled  the  product 
of  Eton  and  Christchurch.  "  What  can  he  do  for 
the  case  by  trying  to  score  off  the  judge  and  a  silk 
gown?  " 

"  Theoretically  he's  wrong,"  said  the  son  of  the 
Master  of  the  Rolls;  "  but  it  was  very  nicely  done. 
I  am  sure  my  guv'nor  would  have  liked  it." 

Divested  of  its  endless  interruptions,  the  cross- 
examination  of  the  woman  was  conducted  with  that 
persuasiveness  he  had  used  from  the  first.  And  to 
those  acquainted  with  the  immensely  difficult  art 
Northcote  was  essaying,  it  became  a  source  of  sur- 
prise that  so  young  a  man  should  evince  this  perfect 
command  over  the  means  he  employed,  when  the 
high-strung  nerves  of  the  natural  man  were  sub- 
jected to  such  severe  trials  from  an  opponent.  And 
the  reward  of  his  restraint  came  to  him  as  he  pro- 
ceeded, for  the  wretched  woman  was  melted  to 
tears  by  such  a  sympathetic  tenderness ;  and  further, 
the  intercourse  he  had  already  established  with  the 
jury  seemed  to  deepen. 

"It  is  due  to  the  courtesy  of  the  police  that  you 
are  able  to  follow  your  calling  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

223 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  The  police  could  take  away  your  means  of  live- 
lihood without  giving  you  warnings;  and  without 
giving  you  a  moment's  notice  they  could  put  you 
in  prison?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  whenever  the  police  ask  you  to  serve  them, 
whenever  they  ask  you  to  oblige  them  in  any  way, 
you  feel  obliged  to  carry  out  their  wishes,  whatever 
the  cost  may  be  to  yourself  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Even  when  they  cause  you  to  hurt  a  friend  by 
stating  that  which  you  know  to  be  not  quite 
true?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  On  one  occasion,  Mrs.  Walsingham,  to  help  the 
police,  you  identified  a  man  whom  they  suggested 
had  robbed  you?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  your  own  testimony  and  the  testimony  of 
several  of  your  friends  enabled  them  to  send  this 
unfortunate  man  into  penal  servitude?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  use  the  word  *  unfortunate,'  Mrs.  Walsing- 
ham, because  this  man,  after  languishing  many 
years  in  prison,  was  able  to  prove,  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  fellow  creatures,  that  he  was  perfectly 
innocent  of  the  scandalous  charge  that  was  brought 
against  him.  But  at  the  time  of  his  conviction, 
when  the  police  had  called  upon  you  for  your  help, 
you  did  not  dare  to  tell  the  judge  and  the  jury  that 
you  had  not  been  robbed  by  this  man,  and  that  you 
had  never  seen  him  in  your  life  before?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  This  was  an  instance  in  which  you  felt  the 
224 


THE    TRIAL 

necessity,  in  spite  of  all  that  it  cost  you,  to  help  the 
police  in  obtaining  one  of  those  '  convictions  '  which 
they  consider  so  necessary  to  their  own  well- 
being? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  One  of  those  *  convictions  '  which  mean  an  extra 
stripe  on  the  arm,  and  the  addition  of  a  few  shil- 
lings a  week  to  the  pay  of  one  or  two  of  these  nat- 
ural enemies  of  yours,  of  whom  you  and  your 
friends  stand  in  constant  dread?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

*'  And  so,  Mrs.  Walsingham,  these  enemies  of 
whom  you  stand  in  such  great  fear  having,  in  the 
first  instance,  caused  you  in  your  weakness  to  affirm 
that  which  was  untrue,  in  order  that  the  liberty  of 
an  unhappy  man,  whom  you  had  never  met,  might 
be  taken  away  from  him,  they  cause  you  now  to 
come  again  into  this  court  to  swear  away,  not  the 
liberty,  but  the  life,  of  a  poor  friend,  whose  only 
fault,  as  far  as  you  know,  is  that  occasionally  she 
drank  a  glass  more  than  was  good  for  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Mrs.  Harrison  often  spoke  to  you  of  this  Mr. 
Barron?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Of  late  Mrs.  Harrison  had  complained  to  you 
of  Mr.  Barron  being  unkind  to  her?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  She  told  you  that  he  had  even  threatened  to 
leave  her  altogether  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  When  you  first  knew  her,  Mrs.  Harrison  seemed 
attached  to  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

225 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  That  is  to  say,  she  never  complained  about 
him?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  But  when  latterly  he  grew  unkind  to  her  she 
became  very  unhappy?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  was  it  not  at  such'  times  that  she  was  in- 
clined to  drink  that  extra  glass  to  forget  her  great 
unhappiness?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Yet  it  was  only  under  these  conditions,  when  a 
stimulant  had  excited  her  feelings,  that  she  was 
heard  to  complain  against  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  then  it  seemed  to  you  no  more  than  the 
legitimate  complaint  of  a  highly  emotional  and 
affectionate  nature  which'  was  suffering  deeply  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  remember,  Mrs.  Walsingham,  that  on  one 
occasion  she  made  a  reference  to  her  previous  his- 
tory?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  It  was  to  the  effect  that  this  Mr.  Barron  and 
herself  came  from  the  same  village  in  the  north  of 
England?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  That  they  had  been  intimately  acquainted  in  her 
youth?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  That  as  a  young  girl  she  had  been  in  domestic 
service  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Barron's  mother?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  That  Mr.  Barron  seduced  her  under  a  promise 
of  marriage  ?  " 

336 


THE    TRIAL 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  it  was  the  fact  that  that  promise  had  not 
been  kept  which  led  directly,  in  the  first  instance,  to 
the  ruin  of  this  young  girl  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  Mr.  Barron  having  accomplished  her  ruin, 
fled  from  the  house  of  his  parents  to  London,  to  es- 
cape his  duty?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

**  And  this  girl,  dismissed  from  her  situation,  dis- 
graced in  the  eyes  of  her  friends,  followed  in  her 
despair  to  this  huge  city,  in  the  slender  hope  of 
finding  the  man  who  had  ruined  her?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Yet  for  many  years  she  was  unable  to  find 
him?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  during  those  years  of  inexpressible  bitter- 
ness, in  her  ignorance  of  life,  her  helplessness,  her 
friendlessness,  in  the  abasement  of  her  spirit,  she 
sank  deeper  and  deeper  into  degradation?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  The  pure-blooded  north  country  girl  became  a 
harlot  by  the  force  of  circumstances  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  then  after  many  years  of  misery  one  eve- 
ning at  a  music  hall,  in  the  pursuit  of  her  calling, 
she  chanced  to  meet  the  man  who  had  been  the  first 
cause  of  her  ruin  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  when  he  renewed  a  proposal  that  he  had 
made  years  before,  which  as  a  young  girl  she  had 
scornfully  repudiated,  that  she  should  dwell  in  his 
house,  not  as  his  wife,  but  as  his  mistress,  the  pres- 

227 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

sure  of  her  circumstances  forced  her  to  accept  this 
proposal  almost  with  a  sense  of  gratitude?  " 

''  Yes,  sir." 

"  And,  Mrs.  Walsingham,  you  do  not  believe  for 
one  moment  that  any  thought  of  vengeance  ever 
suggested  itself  to  her  mind  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  are  prepared  to  swear  that?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Also,  that  even  in  these  latter  days,  when  Mr. 
Barron  became  cruel  and  violent  in  his  conduct 
towards  her,  she  never  freed  herself  from  his  yoke, 
never  passed  from  under  the  spell  of  a  power  which, 
from  the  first,  had  been  so  fatal  to  her?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  that  this  paltry  sum  of  money  which  she 
believed  had  been  left  to  her  in  his  will,  which  has 
proved  not  to  have  been  the  case,  could  never  have 
counted  in  the  scale  of  his  personal  attraction  for 
her,  which,  sinister,  dreadful,  tragical  as  it  had 
proved,  had  caused  her  at  his  behest  to  forfeit 
friends,  health,  virtue,  honor,  all  those  things  which 
dignify  Hfe?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  thank  you,  Mrs.  Walsingham ;  I  have  nothing 
more  to  ask  you." 

The  poor  drab,  tottering,  faint,  dissolved  in  tears, 
had  to  be  assisted  from  the  witness-box. 

This  piece  of  cross-examination  had  made  a 
strange  impression.  The  manner  in  which  it  had 
been  conducted  by  the  young  advocate  had  exerted 
a  powerful  emotion  upon  many  besides  the  weak 
and  flaccid  creature  who  had  been  so  much  clay  in 
his  hands.     It  had  had  great  success  as  a  couj?  de 

?38 


THE    TRIAL 

theatre.  The  trained  perceptions  present  had  an 
uneasy  sense  that  they  had  been  Hstening  to  a  mas- 
terpiece. Forensically,  the  means  had  been  entirely 
adequate  to  the  end;  a  supremely  difficult  art  had 
been  surmounted  by  an  exquisite  skill.  Each  ques- 
tion had  been  shaped  so  naturally,  each  word  was 
clothed  with  such  true  delicacy,  that  wonderful 
nuances  of  feeling  were  shed  by  the  magic  of  the 
living  human  voice  over  the  sordid  and  the  unclean. 
Sentence  by  sentence  the  fabric  of  a  story  that  was 
as  old  as  the  world  was  unrolled  until  it  became  a 
piece  of  drama.  Even  professional  criticism,  which 
was  avowedly  hostile,  was  half-conquered  by  the 
infusion  of  human  sympathy  into  that  which  could 
not  bear  the  light.  Irrelevant,  destitute  of  real 
authority  as  was  the  whole  thing,  it  was  yet  allowed 
to  be  a  performance  of  rare  technical  beauty,  a 
pledge  of  the  controlled  will-power  of  its  creator. 
And  like  all  things  which  are  the  fruit  of  an  incom- 
parable technique  —  in  itself  the  reason  to  be  of 
what  is  called  *'  art "  —  it  had  evoked  that  subtle 
emotion  which  transcends  reason  and  experience. 
And  the  least  accessible  to  this  malign  influence 
were  fain  to  see  that  the  first  nail  had  been  ham- 
mered already  into  the  coffin  of  the  prosecution. 

The  indication  of  a  fight  on  the  part  of  the  de- 
fence was  extremely  distasteful  to  Mr.  Weekes  and 
his  junior.  Nothing  had  been  farther  outside  the 
prediction  of  these  expert  practitioners.  It  had 
been  freely  anticipated  that  by  luncheon-time  the 
end  would  be  in  view.  By  then,  according  to  this 
prolepsis,  the  defence  was  to  have  called  its  wit- 
nesses to  testify  to  the  woman's  violence  when  in 
drink,  which  would  count  for  little;    this  youthful 

2  2Q 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

novice  was  to  have  floundered  through  his  few  dis- 
connected and  incoherent  remarks  to  the  jury;  the 
leader  for  the  Crown  was  to  have  answered  him 
in  a  few  perfunctory  sentences,  which  yet  would 
be  in  striking  contradistinction  to  the  halting  and 
rather  inept  performance  of  his  youthful  opponent; 
the  whole  was  to  have  been  transferred  to  the  judge 
with  a  sense  of  perfect  security,  since  the  case  for 
the  prosecution  was  so  clear  and  so  entirely  uncon- 
troverted;  and  the  judge,  very  excellent  in  his 
way,  and  highly  in  favor  of  the  despatch  of  public 
business  and  economization  of  the  public  time,  was 
even  to  have  worked  in  his  summing-up  by  the  hour 
of  the  adjournment. 

However,  this  lengthy  and  irrelevant  cross-ex- 
amination, which  had  had  to  be  contested  at  every 
point,  had  somewhat  demoralized  this  well-con- 
sidered programme.  A  solid  hour  had  been  cut 
out  of  it,  a  solid  hour  in  which  both  sides  could 
have  addressed  the  jury;  in  fact,  a  solid  hour  in 
which,  by  an  effort,  a  verdict  could  have  been  ob- 
tained and  the  woman  hanged.  And  when  this 
tyro,  who  was  conducting  his  first  case  of  impor- 
tance with  a  coolness  that  many  of  his  elders  might 
have  envied,  intimated  that  it  was  not  his  intention 
to  call  witnesses,  and  further  claimed  in  that  con- 
tingency the  privilege  of  addressing  the  jury  after 
the  counsel  for  the  Crown  had  spoken,  Mr.  Weekes 
was  fain  to  inform  the  court  that  he  would  prefer 
to  reserve  his  own  address  to  the  jury,  brief  as  it 
would  be,  until  after  luncheon.  Accordingly  the 
adjournment  was  then  taken. 


230 


XXV 

MR.    WEEKES,    K.  C. 

It  was  in  no  amiable  mood  that  Mr.  Weekes 
went  to  lunch  with  his  junior.  All  his  arrange- 
ments had  been  spoiled  by  "  the  fellow  on  the  other 
side."  Instead  of  the  case  being  in  a  stage  that 
would  permit  him  to  leave  it  to  devote  his  after- 
noon to  business  in  another  court,  it  began  to  seem 
that  it  might  be  prolonged  indefinitely. 

"  So  like  a  beginner,"  said  the  leader  to  his 
junior;  "must  spread  himself  on  the  slightest  op- 
portunity. When  he's  been  at  it  as  long  as  we  have 
he'll  be  wiser.  So  stupid  to  waste  an  hour  of 
valuable  time  in  that  way.  But,  after  all,  it's  a 
golden  rule  to  expect  a  beginner  to  fight  a  hopeless 
case.    One  ought  to  have  known." 

"Quite  sure  it  is  hopeless,  Weekes?"  said  his 
junior  quietly. 

"Why  ask  the  question?"  said  Mr.  Weekes, 
irritably.     "  The  case  is  as  dead  as  this  mutton." 

"  Then  I  am  afraid  there  is  a  little  life  in," 
said  Mr.  Topott,  tasting  the  mutton  ominously. 
"  Waiter,  if  you  don't  mind,  I'll  try  the  beef." 

"  That  confounded  cross  -  examination  —  so 
stupid  —  so  unnecessary  —  put  everybody  out," 
said  Mr.  Weekes,  snappishly,  at  each  mouthful. 
"  Waste  of  public  time  —  may  well  want  more 
judges  —  ought  to  allow  judges  more  power  — 
better   for   everybody  —  save  time   and   money  — 

231 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

save  youngsters  from  making  fools  of  them- 
selves." 

'*  Also  enable  us  to  get  in  an  extra  round  of  golf 
on  a  Saturday,"  said  Mr.  Topott,  viewing  the  beef 
he  had  exchanged  for  the  mutton  with  a  deep  sus- 
picion. "  But  seriously,  Weekes,"  said  he,  "  I  don't 
want  you  to  leave  me  until  they've  returned  their 
verdict.  You  can  just  let  that  nisi  prius  business 
alone  this  afternoon,  and  stay  with  me.  I  have  a 
presentiment  that  things  might  go  wrong." 

"  Presentiment !  "  said  Mr.  Weekes  impatiently. 
"  Deuce  take  your  presentiments !  Waiter,  bring 
me  some  red  pepper." 

"  The  fact  is,  I  am  frightened  to  death  by  that 
young  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Topott  cheerfully.  "  I 
suppose  you  know  who  he  is?  " 

**  I  know  what  he  is,"  said  Mr.  Weekes  inci- 
sively.    "  He  is  a  confounded  nuisance." 

"  He  is  the  greatest  player  of  Rugby  football  the 
game  ever  saw,"  said  Mr.  Topott  impressively. 

''  Pity  he  didn't  stick  to  it,"  said  Mr.  Weekes. 
"  Better  for  him,  better  for  us.  But  what  has  his 
football  got  to  do  with  his  advocacy?" 

"  Well,  I  always  think,  you  know,"  said  Mr. 
Topott  modestly,  "  a  man  is  all  of  a  piece  as  you 
might  say.  If  he  is  preeminent  in  one  thing  he  will 
be  preeminent  in  another." 

"  Not  at  all,  my  dear  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Weekes, 
breathing  contradiction,  a  pastime  that  was  dear  to 
him.  "  It  doesn't  follow  in  the  least.  A  man  may 
be  supreme  as  a  crossing-sweeper,  but  it  does  not 
follow  that  he  would  be  equally  great  as  a  member 
of  Parliament." 

"  I  am  only  advancing  a  theory,"  said  Mr.  To- 
232 


MR.    WEEKES,    K.  C. 

pott,  more  modestly  than  ever,  "  but  I  rather  con- 
tend that  it  does.  It  is  a  matter  of  will-power. 
That  to  which  his  supremacy  is  due  in  one  direc- 
tion, if  evoked  in  an  equal  deg^ree  in  another  di- 
rection will  result  in  an  equal  supremacy.  What 
I  mean  to  say  is,  that  it  seems  to  me  this  truly  great 
football-player  has  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a 
truly  great  advocate.    And  that  is  why  I  fear  him." 

"  Moonshine,"  said  Mr.  Weekes.  "  He  is  clever, 
I  grant  you ;  but  football-playing  and  advocacy  are 
not  on  all  fours,  as  he  will  discover  this  afternoon 
very  speedily  when  he  comes  to  address  a  British 
jury." 

"  If  you  don't  mind  my  saying  so,"  said  Mr. 
Topott,  with  a  very  apologetic  air,  "  it  struck  me 
this  morning  that  his  football-playing  and  his  ad- 
vocacy were  very  much  on  all  fours.  They  both 
struck  me  as  belonging  unmistakably  to  the  man. 
I  have,  as  I  say,  a  presentiment  that  things  might 
go  wrong." 

"  Confound  your  presentiments,  Topott !  How 
can  things  go  wrong?  And  why  a  man  of  your 
experience  should  funk  a  mere  boy  who  has  had 
none,  I  don't  know.  He  is  certain  to  come  an  im- 
perial crowner  with  the  jury.  There  isn't  half  a 
leg  for  him  to  stand  on." 

"  Well,  he  didn't  come  much  of  a  crowner  this 
morning,"  said  Mr.  Topott  deferentially,  "  in  spite 
of  Bow-wow  and  in  spite  of  you.  I  don't  know 
where  he  obtained  his  information,  but  I  thought 
the  whole  thing  was  most  artistic.  And  if  the  fel- 
low can  cross-examine  in  that  manner,  heaven 
knows  what  he  can  do  when  he  gets  up  on  his 
hind  legs  to  address  the  jury.    I  tell  you,  Weekes, 

233 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

I  am   frightened  to  death  of  this   young  fellow. 
He's  deep." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Weekes 
tartly,  "  you  stayed  up  an  hour  longer  than  you 
ought  to  have  done  at  the  Better  ton  last  night, 
waiting  for  four  aces  which  never  turned  up." 

At  an  adjoining  table  the  barrister  of  elephantine 
proportions,  who  had  expressed  his  determination 
"  to  stand  the  fellow  a  bottle,"  was  entertaining 
a  select  coterie  of  his  learned  friends.  In  his  inn 
he  was  justly  celebrated  as  a  trencherman  among 
a  society  which  had  always  been  famous  for  its 
prowess  at  the  board.  He  rejoiced  in  the  name  of 
"Jumbo;"  and,  although  his  practice  was  small, 
only  his  adipose  tissue  imposed  the  bounds  to  his 
good  nature.  In  every  way  he  was  designed  by 
nature  to  be  one  of  her  most  popular  efforts. 

"Who's  Northcote?"  was  a  question  that  was 
circulating  freely.     None  seemed  to  know. 

"  Never  heard  of  him.    Never  seen  his  name." 

"  Well  known  in  the  police-courts,  I  believe." 

"  It's  time  he  gave  them  up.  His  talents  call  him 
elsewhere." 

"  It  was  rather  poor  form,  I  must  say,  trying  to 
score  off  Bow-wow." 

"It  is  a  mistake  a  young  man  is  likely  to 
make." 

"  Speaking  for  myself,  I  thought  Bow-wow  was 
asking  for  it.  It  is  the  time-honored  story  of  the 
old-established  firm  of  the  bench  and  the  Treasury. 
Once  a  Treasury  counsel  always  a  Treasury  coun- 
sel." 

"  Jealousy,  jealousy,  jealousy." 

"  He  was  altogether  wrong  with  the  police." 
234 


MR.   WEEKES,   K.  C. 

"  I  agree.  He  ought  to  have  been  handled  more 
firmly." 

'*  Bow-wow  furnishes  a  good  example  of  a  lath 
painted  to  look  like  iron.  I  should  like  to  have  seen 
him  face  to  face  with  Cunningham,  or  old  Tottie 
Turnbull.  There  would  have  been  trouble  for 
one." 

"  For  m'lud,  I'll  lay  a  pony.  This  young  sports- 
man is  quite  above  the  ordinary.  He  is  going  a 
very  long  way." 

"It  is  too  early  to  say.  We  see  so  many  geese 
with  the  plumage  of  the  swan  in  this  profession." 

"Name!   name!"    cried  the  table. 

"  I  expect  when  it  is  all  reckoned  up,"  said 
Jumbo,  when  order  had  been  restored,  "  my  young 
pal,  Jem  Smith,  is  the  son  of  *  Pot '  Northcote  who 
went  the  northern  circuit  for  years." 

"  If  that  is  so,  Jum,  he  is  already  a  better  man 
than  his  father.    Pot  died  a  recorder." 

"  I  hope  the  young  un  will  open  his  mug  for  an 
hour  this  afternoon.  He's  got  the  finest  mask  on 
him  for  a  young  un  I  ever  saw." 

"  Weekes  might  easily  have  tO'  play  jack-in-the- 
box  all  the  afternoon." 

"  In  that  case  poor  old  Bow-wow  will  have  to  do 
a  frightful  amount  of  scratching  at  his  leg." 

"  But  the  case  is  too  dead  to  be  worth  it." 

"  That  won't  matter  to  James.  He  threw  down 
his  gage  this  morning.  The  jury  will  have  to  sit 
tight  and  hold  on  to  the  handle  going  round  the 
curves,  or  he'll  have  them  in  a  hat  before  he's  done 
with  them.  And  I've  seen  Bow-wow  crumple  up 
before  now." 

"  So  have  we  all." 

235 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"Like  all  notorious  barkers  his  voice  is  the  best 
part  about  him." 

''  For  my  part,  I  think  you  are  going  too  fast. 
The  lad  is  not  so  wonderful  as  all  this.  He  has 
done  nothing  out  of  the  common  as  far  as  I  can 
see." 

"  No,  dear  boy,"  said  Jumbo,  "  because  you  can 
never  see  anything.  But  a  young  sportsman  who 
can  cross-examine  in  that  manner  in  his  first  mur- 
der case  is  made  of  the  right  stuff." 

"  But  the  witness  was  as  easy  as  pie.  She  didn't 
know  where  she  was  or  what  she  was  saying." 

"  And  he  took  an  amazing  advantage  of  her." 

"  So  would  any  one  else." 

"  They  would,  but  in  a  very  different  way." 

"  His  cross-examination  will  amount  to  nothing, 
in  spite  of  the  time  it  wasted." 

"  Will  it  not,  though  ?  That  is  all  you  know  of 
a  sentimental  jury  of  your  countrymen." 

"  His  attack  on  the  police  was  monstrous,  and  he 
had  no  right  to  put  questions  in  the  form  he  did." 

"  So  thought  Weekes,  so  thought  Bow-wow,  but 
he  put  them  all  the  same.  And  what  is  more,  the 
foreman  of  the  jury,  a  highly  respectable  green- 
grocer, took  cognizance." 

"  Well,  where  does  his  amazingness  come  in  ? 
She  only  answered  *  yes '  to  everything." 

"  Had  he  wanted  her  to  answer  '  no '  to  every- 
thing she  would  have  done  so." 

"  Of  course  she  would.  Everybody  could  see 
that." 

"  Yes,  dear  boy,  and  what  does  he  do  ?  Our 
young  friend  takes  the  liberty  of  inventing  every 
one  of  his  facts  as  he  goes  along.     All  that  about 

236 


MR.    WEEKES,    K.  C. 

her  dealings  with  the  poHce  and  the  murdered  man 
coming  from  her  native  village  was  so  much  fiction. 
It  was  a  marvellous  piece  of  improvisation." 
"  We  shall  none  of  us  believe  that." 
"  Of  course  you  won't,  dear  boys ;    you  are  not 
expected  to.    But  as  soon  as  he  realized  his  oppor- 
tunity he  took  an  amazing  advantage  of  it.    It  was 
daring,    I    grant    you,    an    unparalleled    piece    of 
effrontery.     I  don't  know  another  man  at  the  bar 
who,  had  he  been  capable  of  a  coup  of  that  kind, 
would  have  ventured  to  play  it.     The  whole  thing 
was  the  most  audacious  piece  of  work  ever  seen." 
"  But,  my  dear  Jum,  he  had  no  right  to  do  a 
thing  of  that  kind." 

"  Of  course  not,  dear  boy,  but  he  did  it." 
"But  why  didn't  Weekes  stop  him?" 
"  Because  Weekes  did  not  know  any  more  than 
you.     He  would  be  the  last  man  in  the  world  to 
see  a  thing  of  that  kind." 

"  Then  why  didn't  Topott  call  his  attention  to 
it?" 

"  Topott  also  was  completely  taken  in." 
"  Then  by  your  own  showing,  Jum,  you  were 
the  cleverest  man  in  court  this  morning?" 

"  The  cleverest  but  one,  dear  old  boy.  My 
young  friend  Jem  Smith  was  the  cleverest  by  very 
long  chalks,  but  my  perspicacity  is  deserving  of 
honorable  mention." 

"  It  is  not  the  first  time,"  said  the  table,  roaring 
with  laughter,  "  that  this  fatal  drink  habit  has 
caused  you  to  see  things." 


237 


XXVI 

THE   PLEA 

North  COTE  lunched  with  Mr.  Whitcomb  in  a 
secluded  place,  where  he  partook  of  a  concoction 
of  egg  and  sherry,  and  two  Abernethy  biscuits. 
The  solicitor's  attitude  towards  him  had  already 
changed.  The  fact  that  he  had  adhered  to  his  re- 
fusal to  call  witnesses  for  the  defence  was  allowed 
to  pass,  because  he  had  been  able  to  show  that  after 
all  he  was  entitled  to  hold  ideas  of  his  own  on  the 
conduct  of  the  case.  His  remarkable  essay  in 
cross-examination  had  restored  the  solicitor's  self- 
esteem;  the  dark  horse  he  had  chosen  was  not  go- 
ing to  prove  so  unworthy  after  all. 

**  Of  course  you  have  got  the  judge  dead  against 
you  now,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  and  I  don't  quite  see 
what  it  is  going  to  do  for  you;  but  as  far  as  it 
went  it  was  very  well  done.  I  can't  think  how  you 
came  to  put  all  those  questions.  Where  did  you 
get  your  information?    It  was  not  on  your  brief." 

"  Never  mind  where  I  got  it,"  said  Northcote, 
with  a  laugh. 

His  composure  was  much  greater  than  when 
his  client  had  conversed  with  him  in  the  court. 

"  If  only  the  whole  case  were  not  so  dead  it 
might  have  proved  enormously  useful,"  said  the 
solicitor.     "  Yes,  it  was  very  well  done." 

"  Would  you  say  that  Tobin  would  have  done  it 
better?  "  said  the  young  man,  with  an  odd  smile. 

238 


THE    PLEA 

**  No,  I  would  not,"  said  the  solicitor.  "  I  will 
pay  you  the  compliment  of  saying  that  even 
Michael  Tobin  would  not  have  done  it  better." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  young  man  drily.  "  And 
now,  what  would  you  like  to  lay  against  an  ac- 
quittal ?  " 

*'  Well,  you  are  a  cool  hand,  I  must  say,"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Whitcomb,  somewhat  taken  aback. 
"  For  a  beginner  I  don't  think  I've  met  your 
equal." 

"  What  will  you  lay  against  an  acquittal?  " 

*'  I  don't  mind  laying  five  hundred  to  fifty," 
said  the  solicitor. 

"  Done,"   said  Northcote. 

"  If  you  had  asked  me  this  morning  before  you 
went  into  court  you  might  have  had  five  thousand 
to  fifty." 

"  Sorry  I  forgot  to  mention  it,  because  I  was 
just  as  sure  then  as  I  am  now  what  the  result  will 
be." 

"  Why  you  should  have  this  confidence  I  cannot 
understand.  Really,  you  know,  you  haven't  a  leg 
to  stand  on." 

''Well,  well;  I  am  going  to  leave  you  now  to 
take  a  stroll  for  ten  minutes.     See  you  soon." 

Northcote  went  out  into  the  traffic  to  take  a  few 
mouthfuls  of  the  London  air.  Fiery  chemicals 
seemed  to  be  consuming  his  nerves,  and  his  brain 
was  like  a  sheet  of  molten  flame.  But  sensations 
so  extreme  in  nowise  distressed  him.  He  felt  the 
exhilaration  of  this  strange  yet  not  unpleasant  con- 
dition to  be  the  pledge  of  a  harmony  between  men- 
tal and  physical  passion.  It  seemed  to  promise  that 
the  overweening  consciousness  of  power  that  had 

239 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

haunted  him  for  so  many  weeks  in  his  solitude  was 
about  to  be  fulfilled.  The  painful  self-distrust,  the 
afflicting  self-consciousness  which  had  tormented 
and  atrophied  his  energies  in  smaller  cases  had  van- 
ished altogether. 

As  he  recalled  the  achievement  of  the  morning, 
he  felt  a  glow  of  exaltation.  Looking  back  upon 
it  his  mind  had  been  as  clear  as  a  crystal,  exqui- 
sitely responsive  to  the  will.  Every  bolt  and  nut  of 
the  complex  mechanism  had  been  in  perfect  order. 
The  very  words  he  had  wished  to  use  had  sprung 
to  his  lips,  the  very  tones  in  which  he  sought  to 
embody  them  had  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth.  So 
profoundly  harmonious  had  been  his  mind  in  its 
most  intimate  workings,  that  he  had  been  able  to 
convey  fine  shades  of  meaning  to  the  jury  without 
addressing  to  them  a  single  word. 

Already  he  seemed  to  know  all  that  was  salient 
in  the  character  of  each  individual  who  composed 
it.  As  he  rejoiced  in  the  masterful  strength  in 
which  he  was  now  cloaked  so  valiantly,  he  felt  it 
had  only  to  abide  with  him  throughout  the  after- 
noon, and  a  signal  victory  would  crown  his  efforts. 
And  it  would  abide  with  him  throughout  that 
period,  because  all  the  power  of  his  nature,  which 
when  aroused  to  action  he  felt  to  be  without  a  limit, 
was  pledged  to  this  contingency.  In  this  over- 
mastering flush  of  virility  in  which  he  walked  now, 
he  stood  revealed  to  himself  as  a  Titan.  Bestrid- 
ing the  crowded  pavements  he  seemed  to  be  in  a 
world  of  pygmies.  What  was  there  in  the  life 
around  him  that  could  stem  this  vital  force?  No 
longer  did  he  doubt  that  it  was  in  him  to  dominate 
.the  judge,   the  jury,   and  the  prosecution.     They 

240 


THE    PLEA 

were  none  of  his  clay;    their  mould  was  not  the 
mighty  one  nature  had  used  for  his  fashioning. 

With  an  extraordinary  boldness  and  elasticity  in 
his  steps  he  walked  back  into  the  court.  How  dear, 
how  precious,  had  the  fetid  and  hideous  room  be- 
come to  him  already!  It  is  a  ruthless  joy  that  con- 
sumes the  orator,  when,  clad  in  his  strength,  he 
stands  up  in  that  forum  which  previously  his  fail- 
ures have  caused  him  to  dread,  but  which  the  lust 
of  triumph  has  rendered  indispensable  to  his  being. 
This  day  would  be  written  in  its  memorials.  It 
would  mark  the  first  of  a  succession  of  achieve- 
ments within  its  precincts,  achievements  which 
would  cause  his  name  to  be  handed  down  in  its 
archives  forever.  Who  among  the  listless  occu- 
pants of  the  surrounding  benches  foresaw  that  they 
were  on  the  threshold  of  another  miracle  that  was 
about  to  happen  in  the  world?  Who  among  them 
foresaw  that  a  demigod  was  about  to  rise  in  their 
midst? 

Those  venal,  high-living  men,  whose  flesh  was 
overlaid  in  luxury,  how  could  they  hope  to  under- 
stand the  miracle  that  was  about  to  occur?  How 
could  the  poor  drab,  cowering  in  the  dock,  whose 
life  so  ironically  had  become  the  pretext  for  the 
first  announcement  of  his  genius,  how  could  she 
hope  to  understand  that  a  new  force  was  about  to 
take  its  walk  in  the  world?  How  dismal,  coarse, 
and  sordid  everything  seemed!  Not  a  glimpse  of 
light,  beauty,  or  hope  was  anywhere  to  be  discerned 
in  the  whole  of  that  crowded  and  suffocating  room. 
The  darkness  and  horror  which  oppress  us  so  much 
in  the  streets  of  a  great  city,  all  the  festering  sores, 
all  the  blunt  evils  which  discolor  human  nature  and 

241 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

conspire  against  its  dignity,  seemed  to  have  con- 
gregated here.  The  most  cruel  fact  of  human  ex- 
istence, the  knowledge  of  man's  innate  imperfection, 
appeared  to  be  concentrated,  to  be  rendered  visible 
in  this  inferno  in  which  every  aperture  was  kept  so 
close. 

As  soon  as  the  judge  returned  into  court,  Mr. 
Weekes  rose  to  address  the  jury.  Northcote  sought 
sternly  to  curb  his  own  impatience  while  the  trite 
voice  of  the  counsel  for  the  prosecution  marshalled 
the  array  of  facts.  They  were  so  damning  that 
they  hardly  called  for  comment.  None  could  dis- 
pute the  tale  that  they  told ;  and  the  Crown  had  no 
wish  to  waste  the  time  of  the  court  by  laboring  the 
obvious.  Reposing  an  implicit  confidence  in  the 
triumph  of  a  virgin  reason,  that  one  imperishable 
gift  of  nature  to  mankind,  Mr.  Weekes  was  yet 
able  to  exhibit  a  profound  sorrow  for  the  terrible 
predicament  of  the  accused,  and  the  awful  alter- 
native with  which  twelve  of  her  countrymen  were 
confronted.  But  painful  as  was  their  duty,  and 
painful  as  was  his,  it  was  imposed  upon  them  by 
the  law.  Mr.  Weekes  resumed  his  seat  in  the  midst 
of  a  deep  and  respectful  silence,  which  indicated 
how  crucial  the  situation  was  to  all,  after  having 
spoken  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour. 

The  uninspired  but  adequate  words  of  his  oppo- 
nent had  galled  Northcote  at  first,  so  overpowering 
was  his  desire  to  rise  at  once  and  deliver  that  ut- 
terance with  which  his  whole  being  was  impreg- 
nated. But  as  perforce  he  waited  and  his  ears  were 
fed  by  the  formal  phrases  of  his  adversary,  his 
nervous  energy  seemed  to  concentrate  under  the 
effort  of  repression.     And  when  at  last  a  curious 

242 


THE   PLEA 

hush  informed  him  that  his  hour  had  arrived,  which 
at  a  time  less  momentous  would  have  unnerved  him 
altogether,  and  he  rose  to  his  feet,  to  such  an  ex- 
tent was  he  surcharged  with  emotion  that  at  first 
he  could  not  begin. 

Every  eye  in  the  crowded  building  was  strained 
upon  him  almost  painfully,  as  he  stood  with  locked 
lips  looking  at  an  old  woman  in  a  bright  red  shawl 
in  the  public  gallery.  He  was  as  pale  as  a  ghost, 
his  cheeks  were  so  cadaverous  that  in  the  murky 
light  of  the  gaslit  winter  afternoon  they  presented 
the  appearance  of  bones  divested  of  their  flesh. 
But  there  was  a  profound  faith  among  the  majority 
of  the  slow-breathing  multitude.  Since  the  morn- 
ing the  name  of  the  advocate  had  come  to  be  bruited 
among  them ;  and  in  spite  of  his  silence,  which  was 
grinding  against  their  tense  nerves,  there  was  that 
in  his  bearing  which  excluded  all  sense  of  fore- 
boding from  their  minds. 

A  full  minute  passed  in  complete  silence  while 
the  advocate  stood  staring  at  the  old  woman  in  the 
red  shawl.  At  last  his  lips  were  unsealed,  slowly 
and  reluctantly;  the  first  words  that  proceeded 
from  them  were  of  a  quietude  which  pinned  every 
thought.  All  listened  with  a  painful  intensity  with- 
out knowing  why. 

"  My  lord,  gentlemen  of  the  jury :  It  is  with  feel- 
ings of  awe  that  I  address  you.  This  is  the  first 
occasion  on  which  my  inexperience  has  been  sum- 
moned to  bear  the  yoke  of  a  great  task;  and  here 
on  its  threshold  I  confess  to  you  without  shame 
that  I  should  faint  under  its  burden,  had  I  not  the 
knowledge  that  I  hold  a  mandate  to  plead  the  cause 
of  not  the  least  of  God's  creatures. 

243 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  You  must  have  heard  with  admiration  the 
words  which  have  fallen  from  the  lips  of  the  learned 
gentleman  who  has  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  Crown. 
Impregnable  in  his  learning,  ripe  in  his  judgment, 
he  has  made  it  impossible  for  the  tyro  who  stands 
before  you  to  imitate  his  force  and  his  integrity. 
Indeed,  I  do  not  know  how  this  tyro  would  derive 
the  courage  to  follow  him  at  all  were  it  not  that 
a  special  sanction  had  been  given  to  him  by  the 
grievous  circumstances  of  this  case.  It  is  because 
its  nature  is  so  terrible  that  he  who  has  to  share 
its  onus  is  able  to  forget  his  youth,  his  weakness, 
his  absence  of  credentials. 

"  We  are  proud,  we  citizens  of  London,  that  we 
are  born  of  the  first  race  of  mankind,  in  the  most 
fortunate  hour  of  its  history.  It  is  our  boast  that 
we  are  the  inheritors  of  a  freedom  that  was  never 
seen  before  on  the  earth;  a  freedom  not  only  of 
conduct  and  intercourse,  but  more  rarely,  more 
preciously,  a  freedom  of  opinion,  a  freedom  of  ideas. 
And  we  prize  this  birthright  of  ours  not  merely 
because  our  fathers  purchased  it  for  us  with  their 
blood,  but  also  because  its  possession  is  of  ines- 
timable worth  in  the  progress  of  human  nature. 
And  in  the  very  centre  of  this  pride  of  ours,  which 
is  intellectual  in  its  source,  there  arises,  as  the  bul- 
wark of  our  homage,  the  more  than  sacred  edifice 
which  has  crystallized  the  national  life.  I  refer  to 
the  constitution  of  England. 

"  We  do  well  to  accept  this  institution  with  an. 
unreserved  emotion  which,  as  a  race,  we  regard  as 
unworthy.  For  there  are  some  who  hold  that  this 
hiatus  between  our  precepts  and  our  practice  con- 
fers a  yet  deeper  lustre  upon  our  love  of  justice. 

244 


THE    PLEA 

For,  gentlemen,  that  love  is  innate  in  the  heart  of 
every  Englishman ;  it  is  the  stuff  of  which  our  con- 
stitution is  composed,  which  quickens  our  pulses 
and  tightens  our  throats ;  it  helps  to  form  the  most 
magnificent  of  all  our  traditions;  it  is  the  woof  of 
a  fabric  which  is  imperishable. 

"It  is  the  thought  of  this  love  of  justice  domi- 
nant in  the  breast  of  every  London  citizen,  which 
sustains  him  who  pleads  the  cause  of  the  accused. 
For  in  a  charge  of  this  awful  nature  the  constitu- 
tion enacts  with  a  noble  wisdom  that  the  prisoner 
at  the  bar  is  entitled  to  any  doubt  that  may  arise 
in  any  one  of  your  minds  in  regard  to  the  absolute 
conclusiveness  of  all  the  evidence  that  may  be  urged 
against  her.  That  is  a  humane  provision,  gentle- 
men. It  is  worthy  of  the  source  from  which  it 
springs.  Without  this  provision  I  do  not  know 
how  any  advocate  would  be  prevailed  upon  to  in- 
cur his  responsibility;  nor,  gentlemen,  do  I  know 
how  any  jury  of  twelve  humane  and  enlightened 
Englishmen  would  be  gathered  into  this  court  to 
adjudicate  upon  the  life  or  death  of  an  English- 
woman. It  is  a  humane  and  far-sighted  provision, 
and  it  enables  the  advocate  of  this  unhappy  English- 
woman to  address  you  with  a  feeling  of  security 
which  otherwise  he  could  never  have  hoped  to  pos- 
sess. 

"  I  feel,  gentlemen,  that  the  exigencies  of  this 
case  may  compel  me  to  speak  to  you  at  great  length, 
but  of  one  thing  you  may  be  assured.  I  shall  not 
speak  at  all  unless  every  word  I  am  called  to  utter 
is  weighed  with  care  and  fidelity  in  the  scales  of 
the  reason  that  God  has  given  to  me,  and  I  know, 
gentlemen,  from  the  look  upon  your  faces,  that  with 

245 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

equal  care  and  equal  fidelity  you  will  weigh  them 
in  the  scales  of  the  reason  God  has  given  to  you. 
I  have  placed  myself  in  the  most  favorable  position 
for  addressing  you  I  can  devise.  I  shall  hope  to 
speak  with  the  utmost  distinction  of  which  I  am 
capable;  and  I  shall  hope  not  to  employ  a  word 
whose  meaning  is  obscure  to  you,  or  a  phrase  which 
is  equivocal  or  open  to  misconstruction.  That  you 
are  prepared  to  surrender  your  whole  attention  to 
me  you  tell  me  with  your  looks.  That  I  shall  hold 
that  attention  I  dare  to  believe,  unless  the  hand  of 
Providence  deprives  me  of  the  power  to  give  utter- 
ance to  those  things  with  which  my  mind  is  charged 
to  the  bursting-point. 

"  You  will  not  refute  me  when  I  assert  that  the 
fact  in  our  common  experience  which  at  the  present 
time  has  the  greatest  power  to  oppress  us  is  the 
imperfection  of  human  nature.  And  upon  enter- 
ing a  court  of  justice  this  fact  is  apt  to  demoralize 
a  feeling  mind.  The  science  of  appraising  criminal 
evidence  has  been  carried  among  us  to  a  curious 
pitch,  as  witness  the  unexampled  skill  of  my  learned 
friend;  the  paraphernalia  of  incrimination,  if  the 
expression  may  be  allowed  to  me,  is  consummate; 
but  in  spite  of  the  rare  ingenuity  of  great  legal 
minds,  human  nature  is  fallible.  It  is  liable  to  err. 
It  does  err.  To  the  deep  grief  of  science  it  errs 
with  great  frequency.  Indeed,  its  errors  are  so 
numerous  that  they  even  impinge  upon  the  sacred 
domain  of  justice.  Miscarriages  of  justice  occur 
every  day. 

*'  In  a  cause  of  this  nature  it  is  most  necessary 
that  steps  should  be  taken  to  exclude  the  element 
of  injustice  by  all  means  that  are  known  to  us.    We 

246 


THE    PLEA 

are  bound,  gentlemen,  to  keep  that  contingency  con- 
stantly before  our  eyes.  Such  a  contingency  fills 
me  with  trembling;  and  I  believe  it  fills  you,  for  in 
this  instance  a  miscarriage  of  justice  would  not 
only  be  irreparable,  it  would  be  a  crime  against  our 
human  nature. 

"  The  question  arises,  how  can  we  safeguard  our- 
selves against  this  element  of  injustice?  What 
means  can  we  adopt  to  keep  it  out?  Gentlemen,  it 
devolves  upon  me,  the  advocate  of  the  accused,  to 
furnish  that  means.  By  taking  thought  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  provide  it.  To  that  end  I  propose  to 
divide  what  I  have  to  say  to  you  into  three  parts. 
The  first  will  deal  with  your  legal  duty.  The  sec- 
ond will  deal  with  the  duty  to  which  every  Christian 
Englishman  must  subscribe  or  forfeit  his  name,  and 
with  his  name  the  title-deeds  of  his  humanity.  The 
third  will  show  the  consequences  which  must  and 
do  wait  upon  the  evasion  of  this  second  duty,  which 
is  the  highest  and  noblest  known  to  mankind,  which 
in  itself  completely  transcends  this  legal  one,  this 
technical  one  you  are  sworn  to  obey." 

"  I  can  see  he  means  to  be  all  night,"  said  Mr. 
Weekes  to  his  junior,  with  marked  irritation. 
"  Lover  of  the  sound  of  his  own  voice." 

"  He  is  going  wrong  already,"  said  Mr.  Topott 
complacently.  "  Saying  too  much ;  overdoing  it 
generally." 

"  Every  inch  a  performer,"  said  Jumbo  at  the 
back  to  a  companion.  "  There's  a  fortune  in  that 
voice  and  manner.  Hope  the  lad  won't  say  too 
much." 

"  Has  done  already,"  said  his  companion.  "  That 


247 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

cant  of  a  duty  higher  than  the  legal  one  is  merely 
ridiculous." 

The  ex-president  of  the  Oxford  Union  and  his 
friend,  whose  youth  rendered  them  sternly  critical, 
were  following  Northcote's  every  word  with  the 
closest  attention. 

"  He's  got  a  brogue  you  could  cut  with  a  knife," 
said  the  ex-president,  with  an  air  of  resenting  a 
personal  injury. 

"  You  are  wrong,"  said  his  friend,  with  an  ab- 
sence of  compromise.    "  He  was  at  school  with  me." 

By  this  time  the  advocate  had  cut  into  the  heart 
of  his  subject.  In  a  few  swift  yet  unemphasized 
sentences  he  had  proved  the  existence  of  a  doubt  in 
the  case.  He  pressed  home  the  significance  of  that 
fact  with  a  power  that  was  so  perfectly  disciplined 
that  it  did  not  appear  to  exert  itself,  yet  it  carried 
a  qualm  into  the  camp  of  the  enemy.  He  was  con- 
tent to  indicate  that  the  doubt  was  there,  and  with 
apparent  magnanimity  differentiated  it  from  that 
which  in  his  view  must  ever  accompany  circum- 
stantial evidence.  Every  gesture  that  he  used  in 
the  demonstration  of  its  presence,  each  vibration 
of  a  voice  which  had  become  marvellously  flexible, 
was  a  living  witness  of  the  dynamic  quality  he  had 
in  his  possession. 

"  He  will  be  wise  to  let  it  go  at  that,"  was  the 
opinion  of  Mr.  Weekes.  "  He  has  done  quite  as 
well  as  was  to  have  been  expected.  We  shall  just 
get  home,  and  for  a  beginner  he  will  have  done 
very  nicely." 

"  It  wouldn't  surprise  me  if  he  is  only  just  start- 
ing," said  Mr.  Topott  mournfully. 

"  I  have  done  now,  gentlemen,"  Northcote  con- 
248 


THE    PLEA 

tinned,  "  with  the  legal  aspect  of  this  case.  That 
aspect,  as  I  have  shown,  makes  an  acquittal  neces- 
sary. But  whenever  we  are  content  to  base  our 
judgment  upon  technicalities,  we  tie  our  hands. 
We  furnish  room  for  one  of  those  sophistries  which 
trained  intellects,  the  intellects  of  those  who  are  far 
more  learned  in  the  law  than  we  are,  find  it  so  easy 
to  introduce.  There  is  always  the  danger  that  a 
body  of  laymen,  however  unimpeachable  their  in- 
tegrity, may  be  led  from  the  plain  and  obvious  path 
of  their  duty  by  a  cunning  stratagem.  Again,  in 
all  those  matters  that  seek  ascertained  fact  for  their 
basis,  we  must  not  forget  that  its  supply  is  partial. 
Science  is  doing  stupendous  things  for  the  world, 
but  even  it  cannot  yet  supply  mankind  with  any- 
thing beyond  half-truths.  There  is  no  field  of  man's 
activities  —  philosophy,  religion,  politics,  law  — 
which  does  not  depend  upon  these.  Science  can 
furnish  us  with  sufficient  evidence  to  hang  a  fellow 
creature,  but  the  time  is  at  hand  when  it  will  also 
have  furnished  us  with  such  abundant  knowledge  of 
our  eternal  fallibility,  that  we  shall  cease  to  exact 
these  reprisals.  For  are  not  all  reprisals,  which  we 
include  under  the  comprehensive  term  *  justice,'  the 
fruit  of  an  imperfect  apprehension  of  the  nature  of 
man  ?  It  has  been  said  truly  that  a  little  knowledge 
is  dangerous,  for  in  looking  at  the  history  of 
human  opinion  in  all  the  phases  through  which  it 
has  passed,  we  see  how  the  habit  of  basing  our 
actions  upon  half-truths  has  been  the  cause  of  the 
manifold  wounds  of  the  world. 

"  I  think,  gentlemen,  I  have  said  enough  to  in- 
dicate the  dangers  which  lurk  in  the  temptation  to 
apply  in  its  arid  literalness  the  letter  of  the  law.    I 

249 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

am  aware  that  such  a  precaution  tells  against  the 
cause  I  am  pleading,  because,  as  I  think  I  have 
made  clear  to  you,  the  letter  of  the  law  demands 
the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner  at  the  bar.  But  those 
who  seek  for  direction  in  great  issues  must  strive 
to  forget  their  personal  cause.  According  to  the 
law  you  are  pledged  to  obey  your  duty  is  clear; 
but  as  every  day  its  tendency  to  err  becomes  more 
visible,  I  feel  I  must  not,  I  feel  I  dare  not,  place 
too  implicit  a  trust  in  its  clemency.  Therefore, 
gentlemen,  I  am  about  to  supplement  this  law,  I  am 
about  to  reinforce  it,  and  to  reinforce  you,  by  a 
reference  to  that  moral  code  which  each  and  every 
one  of  God's  citizens  carries  in  his  own  heart,  that 
is  the  only  tribunal  known  to  mankind  that  is  not 
liable  to  error.  And  I  think  you  will  agree  with 
me  that  the  nature  of  this  case  allows  me  to  partake 
of  the  inestimable  boon  of  appealing  to  it. 

"  When  I  watched  you  defile  into  this  dismal 
room  this  morning,  one  after  another,  faltering  and 
uncertain  in  your  steps,  and  bearing  about  you  many 
evidences  of  having  been  overcome  by  the  cruel 
task  which  had  been  imposed  upon  you  by  no  will 
of  your  own,  my  heart  went  out  to  you,  and  I  could 
not  help  reflecting  that  I  would  rather  be  in  my 
own  case,  awful  as  it  was  to  me,  than  I  would  be 
in  yours.  I  at  least  could  walk  upon  the  higher 
ground  without  misgiving.  I  had  not  been  pressed 
into  the  service  of  this  court  of  justice  to  make 
obeisance  to  a  ruthless  and  obsolete  formula.  I 
was  not  called  upon  to  subscribe  to  a  compact  that 
was  repugnant  to  my  moral  nature ;  I  was  not  called 
upon  to  enact  the  brutal  travesty  of  sealing  it  with 
my  lips.     But,  my  friends,  as  I  marked  you  this 

250 


THE    PLEA 

morning,  with  a  great  fire  burning  in  my  veins,  I 
wondered  by  what  miracle  it  was,  I  wondered  by 
what  signal  act  of  grace,  I  too  did  not  stand  among 
you  in  my  capacity  of  a  private  citizen,  to  bear  my 
part  in  this  saturnalia  of  justice.  Who  was  I,  that 
I  should  not  be  plucked  from  among  my  family 
and  my  friends,  from  my  peaceful  vocations  and  my 
modest  toil,  to  do  to  death  a  woman?  Who  was 
I,  that  I  should  be  exempt  from  this  bitter  degra- 
dation which  my  peers  are  called  upon  to  suffer? 
And  in  thinking  these  thoughts,  my  friends,  it 
came  upon  me  suddenly  —  call  it  a  prophetic  fore- 
sight if  you  will  —  that  one  of  these  days  I  should 
be  called  to  sit  among  you.  And  I  said  to  myself, 
*  When  that  comes  to  pass,  what  will  you  do  ? ' 
I  said  to  myself,  *  What  will  you  do?  * 

"  At  first  I  could  make  no  answer.  I  was  stu- 
pefied by  the  thought  my  too  active  imagination 
had  conjured  up.  And  then  at  last  I  said  to  my- 
self, *  I  shall  ask  for  guidance  in  this  matter ;  I 
shall  ask  for  guidance  from  that  tribunal  which  lies 
within  my  own  nature.'  And,  my  friends,  there 
and  then  I  turned  to  it,  as  though  this  thing  had 
come  of  a  verity  to  pass,  for  the  sight  of  you  all 
seated  there  in  your  despair  had  borne  upon  me 
so  heavily  that  your  situation  had  become  my  own. 

"  Now  the  answer  that  tribunal  vouchsafed  to  me 
was  this :  '  Consider  what  your  pastors  and  masters 
would  do  were  they  placed  in  your  case.  Consider 
what  would  be  the  attitude  of  those  great  minds 
that  still  bum  like  candles  in  the  night  of  the  time, 
whose  radiance  has  warmed  your  veins,  whose  im- 
mortality has  enriched  your  own  personal  nature. 
Consider  what  would  be  the  conduct  of  those  repre- 

2Sl 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

sentative  spirits  of  whom  you  proud  Englishmen 
of  the  twentieth  century  are  the  heirs/ 

"  And  then  a  strange  thing  happened.  No  sooner 
had  this  answer  been  written  on  the  tablets  of  my 
brain,  than  this  gaslit  room  grew  dimmer  than  it 
already  was,  and  there  seemed  to  arise  a  kind  of 
commotion  among  you  gentlemen  of  the  jury.  And 
when  at  last  I  found  the  courage  to  lift  my  eyes 
outwards  from  my  thoughts,  and  they  looked 
towards  you,  I  saw  with  a  thrill  of  surprise,  as  if 
by  the  agency  of  magic,  that  each  one  of  your  faces 
had  been  blotted  out.  Each  was  shrouded  in  an 
intense  darkness.  But  while  I  continued  to  gaze 
upon  the  place  that  had  contained  you,  almost  with 
a  feeling  of  horror,  a  shadowy  haze  seemed  to  play 
over  it,  and  a  number  of  strange  faces  peopled  the 
gloom.  They  were  more  than  twelve  in  number; 
they  were  more  than  twenty;  they  were  more  than 
a  hundred.  For  the  most  part  they  were  those  of 
men  old  and  austere.  Each  face  seemed  to  be  that 
of  a  person  of  infinite  power  and  dominion,  of  one 
accustomed  to  walk  alone.  Each  was  marked  by 
a  kind  of  superhuman  composure,  as  though  having 
spent  its  youth  in  evei*y  phase  of  stress,  it  had 
emerged  at  last  upon  the  summits  of  the  mountains, 
where  the  air  is  rarefied,  and  where  it  is  possible 
to  hold  a  personal  intercourse  with  Truth.  Some 
of  the  faces  were  grave,  some  a  little  sinister,  but 
the  eyes  of  each  had  a  forward,  upward  look  which 
conferred  an  expression  upon  them  of  entrancing 
beauty. 

"  Stealthily,  rapidly,  but  with  a  superhuman  com- 
posure these  noble  shadows  ranged  themselves  in 
the  jury-box,  in  the  room  of  you  gentlemen  who 

252 


THE    PLEA 

had  vacated  it.  And  when  I  had  overcome  my 
stupefaction  sufficiently  to  look  upon  these  new 
jurors  more  closely,  I  was  struck  with  amazement 
at  the  curious  familiarity  of  those  faces  of  theirs. 
They  were  those  of  persons  that  I  had  seemed  to 
have  known  all  my  life. 

"  There  and  then  a  shiver  of  recognition  crept 
through  my  veins.  I  knew  them;  I  revered  them, 
I  had  spent  many  hours  in  their  company.  The 
first  face  I  had  recognized  was  that  of  an  old  man, 
urbane  and  ironical,  a  citizen  of  the  world;  it  was 
the  face  of  Plato.  Beside  him  was  a  man,  older, 
less  urbane,  more  ironical;  it  was  the  face  of  Soc- 
rates. Thinkers,  warriors,  saints,  and  innovators 
began  to  teem  before  my  gaze.  There  was  St. 
Augustine  and  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  Shakespeare 
and  Goethe,  Leonardo  and  Dante,  Washington  and 
Cromwell,  Kant  and  Spinoza,  Isaac  Newton,  Gior- 
dano Bruno,  Voltaire.  I  thought  I  discerned  the 
faces  of  at  least  two  women  among  this  assembly; 
one  was  that  of  Joan  of  Arc,  the  other  that  of 
Mary  the  Magdalene.  There  appeared  to  be  hosts 
of  others  of  all  times  and  countries  which  sprang 
into  being  as  I  gazed,  but  though  I  recognized 
them  then,  I  cannot  pause  to  enumerate  them  now. 
For  this  gathering  was  strangely  representative, 
and  the  living  were  not  excluded  —  I  saw  a  great 
Russian,  a  great  Englishman,  and  a  great  French- 
man of  our  own  day  —  but  I  must  resist  the  temp- 
tation to  give  the  names  of  all  I  beheld. 

"  No  sooner  had  the  scope  and  representative- 
ness of  this  gathering  declared  itself  and  it  had 
ranged  itself  miraculously  within  a  little  room,  than 
a  kind  of  commotion  overspread  it.     They  seemed 

253 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

to  be  discussing  some  difficult  point  among  them- 
selves. However,  this  action  of  theirs  had  no  time 
to  engage  my  anxiety,  for  I  understood  immedi- 
ately that  they  v^ere  seeking  a  foreman  to  their 
jury.  Nov^  you  v^ould  suppose  that  among  a  con- 
course of  all  who  had  attained  an  immortal  pre- 
eminence in  mental  and  moral  activity,  to  choose 
a  leader  from  amongst  them  would  be  impossible. 
But  this  was  not  so.  Their  discussion  was  over 
almost  before  it  began.  They  had  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  nominating  one  among  their  number 
to  speak  for  them  all. 

''  It  was  with  an  indescribable  curiosity  that  I 
observed  a  slight,  strangely  garbed  figure  emerge 
from  their  midst.  And  when  he  came  to  assume 
his  place  at  the  head  of  his  immortal  companions, 
which  you,  sir,  are  occupying  now,  I  was  devoured 
by  an  overpowering  eagerness  to  look  upon  his 
face.  And  by  this  time  so  immensely  powerful  had 
been  the  impact  of  this  jury  upon  my  imagination, 
that  it  had  obtained  an  actual  existence  and  pro- 
ceeded in  sober  verity  to  conduct  the  business  of 
the  court.  And  I  was  sensible  that  the  painful 
curiosity  with  which  I  awaited  the  foreman's  reve- 
lation of  his  identity  was  shared  by  all  who  were 
present.  All  were  craning  with  parted  lips  to  look 
upon  his  face.  And  when  at  last  he  lifted  his  head, 
and  his  pale  and  luminous  features  shone  out  of  the 
gloom  and  overspread  this  assembly,  a  kind  of  half- 
stifled  sob  of  surprise,  a  sort  of  shudder  of  recog- 
nition, passed  over  the  crowded  court.  The  face 
was  that  of  the  man  called  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

"  To  myself,  however,  the  recognition  brought 
an  immediate  and  profound  sense  of  joy.    All  my 

254 


THE    PLEA 

doubts,  my  terrors,  my  perplexities,  were  no  more. 
They  passed  as  completely  as  though  they  had  never 
been.  The  business  of.  the  court  proceeded,  but  I 
was  inaccessible  to  its  bearing  upon  my  task.  My 
every  thought  was  merged  in  the  personality  of  the 
foreman  of  the  jury.  The  precise,  calm,  and  har- 
monious legal  diction  of  my  learned  friends  lost  all 
its  meaning  and  coherence,  and  even  the  demeanor 
of  the  good  and  upright  judge,  who  is  making  trial 
of  this  cause,  became  one  with  the  glamour  which 
environed  the  figure  in  the  jury-box. 

"  That  august  jury  seemed  to  sit  and  listen  to  all 
that  passed.  By  an  extreme  courtesy  which  they 
were  able  to  impose  on  their  finely  disciplined  na- 
tures, they  gave  heed  to  the  ceremonial  that  was 
enacted  for  their  benefit.  It  is  true  that  there  were 
moments  when  they  were  unable  to  conceal  the  smile 
of  soft  irony  which  veiled  their  lips;  but  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  their  patience  and  urbanity 
remained  inviolate.  The  foreman,  however,  mut- 
tering continually  inaudible  words  to  himself,  with 
fingers  twitching,  and  the  hectic  pulse  beating  in  his 
thin  and  fevered  cheek,  never  took  his  eyes  from  the 
rail  in  front  of  him.  And  when  at  last  the  time 
came  for  the  jury  to  consider  their  verdict,  they 
were  able  to  return  it  instantly,  without  leaving  the 
box,  as  you  would  expect  such  a  tribunal  to  do. 

'.'  I  can  scarcely  hope  to  picture  to  your  minds 
the  scene  that  was  presented  when  the  foreman,  so 
frail  and  thin  and  yet  so  full  of  compassion,  rose 
humbly  in  his  place.  '  Are  you  agreed  upon  your 
verdict,  gentlemen  ? '  said  the  Clerk  of  Arraigns. 
*  We  are,'  said  the  voice  of  the  divine  mystic  of 
the  Galilean  hills ;  yet  I  can  convey  to  you  the  sound 

255 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

of  it  no  better  than  could  those  poor  fishermen  who 
heard  it  nineteen  centuries  ago.  '  What  is  your 
verdict,  gentlemen  ?  '  said  the  Clerk  of  Arraigns, 
whose  own  voice  sounded  so  ludicrously  trite  in 
comparison  with  that  of  the  foreman,  that  it  seemed 
to  have  no  place  in  human  nature.  '  I  understand,' 
said  the  foreman  of  the  jury,  '  according  to  your 
laws  the  penalty  is  death.'  '  Yes,  sir,'  said  the  Clerk 
of  Arraigns,  with  a  quiet  dignity,  *  the  penalty  ac- 
cording to  the  law  is  death.'  *  The  jury  return  a 
verdict  of  Not  Guilty,'  replied  the  foreman  instantly, 
stooping  to  write  with  his  finger  on  the  rail  in  front 
of  him,  as  though  he  had  heard  him  not." 

At  this  point  Mr.  Weekes  rose  excitedly. 

"  My  lord,"  he  cried,  "  this  blasphemous  travesty 
has  gone  too  far.  It  must  be  carried  no  farther. 
It  must  cease." 

''  Mr.  Weekes,"  said  Northcote,  turning  to  con- 
front him,  while  a  wave  of  emotion  swept  over  the 
court  which  seemed  to  make  the  air  vibrate,  "  I 
must  ask  you  resume  your  seat."  He  pointed  with 
a  finger  with  sorrowful  sternness.  "  I  cannot  sub- 
mit to  interruption  at  such  a  moment  as  this.  You 
hold  your  brief  for  the  Crown;  I  hold  mine  for 
God  and  human  nature." 

The  hush  which  followed  was  broken  by  a  poor 
actor  among  the  jury.  He  had  been  out  of  an  en- 
gagement for  two  years,  and  he  had  left  his  home 
that  morning  with  his  wife  sitting  with  a  child  at 
her  breast  before  a  grate  without  a  fire  in  it. 

''  That's  true,"  he  muttered  heavily. 

"  My  lord,  I  appeal  to  you,"  cried  Mr.  Weekes 
more  excitedly  than  ever.  "  I  did  not  come  here  to 
be  browbeaten  and  insulted.     I  did  not  come  here 

256 


THE    PLEA 

to  witness  religion  made  into  mockery  and  dragged 
through  the  mire." 

'*  Mr.  Weekes,"  said  Northcote  with  a  depth  of 
compassion  in  his  tone  which  made  many  veins  run 
cold,  "  a  subterfuge  of  this  kind  will  not  serve  you. 
The  jury  have  no  desire  that  you  should  make  a 
parade  of  your  feelings  at  such  a  moment  as  this. 
They  desire  that  you  will  resume  your  seat,  and 
relinquish  any  further  attempt  to  make  their  task 
more  hideous  than  it  already  is." 

"  That  is  perfectly  true,"  exclaimed  the  foreman 
in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

It  was  observed  by  those  who  were  behind  North- 
cote that  in  the  stress  of  the  mental  anguish  through 
which  he  had  already  passed,  by  constantly  plucking 
with  his  fingers  at  the  back  of  his  hands,  the  skin 
had  been  pulled  away  and  the  bleeding  flesh  was 
exposed. 

''  I  appeal  to  your  lordship,"  cried  Mr.  Weekes. 

''  My  lord,  I  also  appeal  to  you,"  said  North- 
cote; and  the  poise  of  his  head  and  the  lift  of  his 
chin,  as  it  was  directed  upwards  to  the  bench,  re- 
minded those  who  had  seen  it  of  the  figure  of  Balzac 
as  modelled  by  Rodin  in  clay. 

The  daemonic  quality  was  dominant  here,  as  is 
the  case  always  when  the  gospel  of  force  has  its 
dealings  with  human  nature.  Few  had  suspected 
that  this  old  judge,  with  his  brusque  manners  and 
his  great  barking  irascible  voice  was  no  longer  fit 
to  fill  his  position.  His  lionlike  exterior  was  no 
more  than  the  livery  of  his  dignity.  He  was  not 
the  man  to  face  a  crisis,  when  above  all  things  an 
iron  nerve  and  an  implacable  will  were  needed  to 
impose  restraint  upon  a  jury  and  an  advocate  who 

257 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

were  in  danger  of  trampling  underfoot  the  accepted 
rules  of  decorum  and  procedure.  And  the  week 
before  the  judge  had  buried  his  youngest  daughter. 
When  Northcote's  gaunt  eyes  were  turned  upon  this 
old  man,  who  was  trembling  violently  under  his 
ermine,  the  tears  began  to  course  down  his  face. 

"  My  God,  he's  settled  Bow-wow,"  said  the  fat 
barrister  on  the  back  bench. 

"  Always  was  a  senile  old  fool  at  bottom,"  said 
his  companion.  "  That  young  bounder  ought  to 
lose  his  wig  and  gown." 

"  Shut  up !     He's  speaking  again." 


258 


XXVII 

THE    PERORATION 

"  It  is  too  much  the  custom,  my  friends,"  North- 
cote  continued  to  the  jury  when  Mr.  Weekes  had 
sat  down  as  spasmodically  as  he  had  got  up,  ''  to 
regard  this  divine  mystic  of  whom  I  have  spoken 
as  a  supernatural  being  whose  name  can  only  be 
mentioned  with  propriety  in  the  presence  of  an 
elaborate  ritual.  That  fetish  dies  hard,  my  friends, 
but  dying  it  is,  for  if  ever  a  human  being  walked 
this  earth,  whose  life  and  opinions  are  a  great  poem 
that  deserves  to  be  recited  in  our  bosoms  and  our 
businesses  during  every  hour  that  we  dwell,  it  is 
the  life  and  opinions  of  him  who  has  already  given 
his  verdict  in  this  case.  There  are  very  few  things 
that  are  of  any  importance  to  us  upon  which  we 
have  not  his  pronouncement  in  one  form  or  an- 
other; and  though  that  pronouncement  may  not 
always  be  coincident  with  the  technical  lawyer's 
law  of  the  time,  which  is  understanded  of  no  man, 
least  of  all  of  themselves,  these  obiter  dicta  of  his, 
delivered  upon  the  spur  of  the  occasion,  have  al- 
ready outlasted  kings,  dynasties,  and  nations;  and 
they  are  likely  to  endure  when  court-houses,  jury- 
boxes,  and  scaffolds  have  long  ceased  to  be. 

"  A  few  centuries  ago  such  words  as  I  am  now 
addressing  to  you  would  have  sent  me  to  the  lions, 
and  you  also  would  have  been  torn  in  pieces  for 
having  deigned  to  listen  to  them.     It  is  not  a  hun- 

259 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

dred  years  since  small  children  were  hanged  in  this 
country  for  stealing  five  shillings.  A  hundred  years 
before  that  a  woman  was  burned  at  the  stake  for 
the  practice  of  witchcraft.  It  was  the  custom  to 
disembowel  those  who  were  guilty  of  a  felony;  to 
break  on  the  wheel  those  who  did  not  hold  ortho- 
dox political  opinions;  and  to  burn,  maim,  cut  off 
the  heads,  and  inflict  indescribable  physical  tor- 
ments upon  any  person  because  of  his  religious 
views. 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  you,  my  friends,  how  these 
monstrous  enactments  were  overcome.  By  the  law- 
yers who  drew  their  fees  from  the  Crown  to  put 
them  in  practice?  Not  so.  By  those  educated 
minds  that  conducted  the  business  of  the  state? 
Not  so.  These  unspeakable  crimes  committed  in 
the  name  of  justice  were  overcome  by  a  handful  of 
prophets,  seers,  and  reformers,  who  arose  in  Israel. 
They  were  common  and  unrefined,  of  small  edu- 
cation, and  less  culture;  poor  and  obscure  herds- 
men and  fishermen,  a  pedlar  by  the  wayside;  the 
keeper  of  a  public-house;  a  small  tradesman  in 
Lambeth;  a  miserable  grocer  of  Spitalfields;  a 
wretched  old  tinker  who'  passed  the  choicest  part 
of  his  days  in  Bedford  jail.  This  very  Jesus  him- 
self, the  foreman  of  this  jury  which  is  sitting  with 
you  in  the  box,  which  at  this  moment  urges  these 
words  to  my  lips,  was  a  common  rustic  by  trade,  a 
carpenter.  And  you  will  remember  that  he  paid 
for  the  extreme  unorthodoxy  of  his  religious  and 
political  views  by  crucifixion  upon  the  tree. 

"  The  tree  has  gone,  my  friends,  but  he  remains. 
I  say  the  tree  has  gone.  That  tree  has  gone,  but 
as  mankind  in  the  present  imperfect  stage  of  its 

260 


I 


THE    PERORATION 

development,  does  not  dare  as  yet  to  trust  itself 
without  a  tree  of  some  kind  to  lean  upon,  a  sub- 
stitute has  been  provided  for  that  cross  of  wood 
upon  which  it  nailed  the  redeemer  of  his  kind.  And 
it  seems  to  me  that  if  the  divine  mystic  of  whom 
I  am  speaking  were  again  to  roam  the  hills  of  Gal- 
ilee, his  fate  would  be  the  same  to-day  as  it  was 
yesterday.  In  the  present  phase  which  has  been 
attained  by  our  sympathies  with  those  who  share 
the  burden  of  our  so  dark  and  so  inscrutable  in- 
heritance, it  would  be  extremely  easy  for  some 
learned  Treasury  counsel  in  the  performance  of  his 
duty  to  the  Crown,  to  reenact  the  supreme  tragedy 
of  a  world  which  is  filled  with  tragedies. 

"  At  the  present  time  there  is  still  a  tree  stand- 
ing in  England  upon  which  we  nail  women.  They 
may  be  guilty  of  dark  offences,  as  were  the  asso- 
ciates of  that  Nazarene  Jew  of  whom  I  have 
spoken;  their  fate,  according  to  the  written  stat- 
utes, may  be  sound  in  equity;  some  wretched  Mag- 
dalene in  falling  by  the  way  may  have  stained  the 
pavements  of  the  street  with  blood.  But  if  we, 
her  peers  and  coadjutors,  are  to  continue  at  this 
time  of  day  to  visit  her  with  reprisals,  I  am  forced 
to  believe,  my  friends,  that  all  we  most  cherish  in 
our  national  life  will  perish.  And  I  think  I  dis- 
cern by  that  which  is  written  in  your  faces  that  you 
are  of  this  opinion  also. 

''  I  have  alluded  to  the  two  unhappy  outcasts  who 
were  nailed  upon  the  tree  with  Jesus.  Technically 
they  were  malefactors ;  it  was  right  that  they  should 
be  immolated  upon  the  altar  of  the  law.  Doubt- 
less the  instant  the  counsel  for  the  Crown  had  com- 
passed this  desirable  end,  he  repaired  to  his  home 

261 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

with  a  substantial  emolument  and  a  perfect  security 
of  soul,  ate  a  good  dinner,  and  afterwards  lay  on 
a  mat  and  barkened  to  the  sounds  of  the  lyre.  But 
I  do  not  think  from  that  day  to  this  the  associate 
of  these  malefactors  was  ever  shown  to  be  guilty 
of  any  crime  at  all,  at  least  of  any  crime  known 
to  the  judicial  calendar.  His  only  offence,  if  of- 
fence there  was,  was  in  living  before  his  day  and 
generation,  which,  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  are 
contemporary,  is  a  misdemeanor  of  a  heinous  char- 
acter. Posterity  only  is  able  to  condone  a  great- 
ness which  transcends  its  own  era.  Yet  do  not 
misunderstand  me.  Technically  he  was  blameless, 
technically  he  had  committed  no  crime. 

"  This  consideration  brings  me  to  the  final  word 
I  shall  venture  to  speak  —  the  supreme  danger  of 
the  tree.  It  is  very  dangerous  to  keep  a  tree  at  all. 
Whatever  is  once  nailed  upon  it  can  never  be  re- 
moved. The  stains  sink  into  the  wood,  and,  strive 
as  they  may,  the  labors  of  those  who  undertake  to 
cleanse  it  and  purify  it  cannot  avail.  Like  corro- 
sive acids  these  stains  percolate  through  the  fibres 
and  change  them  to  wormwood  and  fungus.  And 
do  not  forget,  my  friends,  that  the  fibres  of  the  tree 
are  the  fibres  also  of  the  national  life.  A  nation 
pledges  its  honor  when  it  seeks  reprisal. 

"  We  do  well  to  shudder  at  the  many  bitter  deg- 
radations which  have  sprung  from  this  habit  of 
keeping  a  tree.  Jesus  was  not  the  first  innocent 
person  whose  blood  was  spilt  upon  that  oft-humili- 
ated wood.  And  he  was  not  the  last.  Our  human 
faculties  play  us  such  strange  tricks  that  they  can 
render  us  certain  of  nothing.  Even  a  poor  outcast 
who  has  fainted  by  the  bleak  wayside  of  life,  who 

263 


THE    PERORATION 

has  occasionally  drunk  a  glass  of  spirits  to  keep 
her  from  the  river,  may  by  some  obscure  possibility 
which  the  counsel  for  the  prosecution  has  not  been 
able  to  reveal  to  us  have  refrained  from  destroy- 
ing the  man  who  has  been  the  first  cause  of  her  fall, 
although  it  devolves  upon  all  who  love  justice  — 
in  whatever  justice  may  consist  —  to  explain  away 
the  coincidence  of  a  packet  of  poison  having  been 
found  in  her  possession.  But,  as  I  say,  it  is  within 
the  bounds  of  possibility  that  the  theory  of  the  pros- 
ecution is  wrong. 

"  It  would  not  be  the  first  occasion  that  an  un- 
common zeal  has  led  it  intO'  error.  A  year  ago 
to-morrow,  at  these  sessions,  one  John  Davis,  a 
butler,  who  for  thirty  years  had  been  a  faithful 
servant  in  the  household  of  his  mistress,  was  found 
guilty  of  the  crime  of  compassing  the  death  of  that 
aged  lady,  in  order  that  he  might  spend  his  own 
latter  days  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  small  legacy  she 
had  left  him  in  her  will.  In  the  mind  of  the  counsel 
for  the  Crown,  and  in  the  mind  of  the  judge,  the 
evidence  against  this  man  was  overwhelming.  At 
first  you  gentlemen  of  the  jury  were  disposed  to 
see  a  doubt  in  the  case,  but  the  learned  counsel  for 
the  prosecution  was  so  consummate  in  his  argu- 
ments, the  learned  judge  was  so  emphatic,  the  ar- 
ray of  witnesses  for  the  Crown  was  so  formidable, 
from  zealous  police  constables,  with  their  way  to 
make  in  the  world,  to  experts  and  past  masters  in 
criminology  who  had  made  theirs  long  ago;  and 
the  youthful  advocate,  whom  the  butler's  legal  ad- 
viser had  selected  to  defend  him,  was  so  unused 
to  a  trial  of  this  magnitude,  for  his  experience  had 
been  limited,   that  he  failed  in  cross-examination 

263 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

to  elucidate  from  a  hostile  witness  an  extremely 
important  fact;  and  in  his  address  to  you,  gentle- 
men of  the  jury,  he  was  unable  to  soften  the  im- 
pression that  the  Crown  had  been  able  to  build  up 
in  your  minds. 

"  I  have  hardly  a  need,  gentlemen,  to  reveal  to 
you  the  sequel  of  this  painful  story.  As  all  the 
world  remembers,  you  had  in  the  end  to  submit  to 
the  inevitable.  You,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  con- 
sented to  a  verdict  of  guilty;  a  month  later  the 
unhappy  man  was  hanged;  and  he  had  not  been 
five  days  in  his  grave  when  a  nephew  of  the  mur- 
dered woman  gave  himself  up  to  a  justice  that  had 
already  wreaked  itself  on  an  innocent  man,  and  con- 
fessed that  he  himself  had  murdered  his  aunt  be- 
cause he  was  in  need  of  her  money. 

"  These  facts  are  green  in  the  minds  of  you  all. 
But  there  is  a  coincidence  connected  with  this 
atrocious  story  and  this  grievous  case  which  is  en- 
gaging your  attention.  The  counsel  for  the  prose- 
cution in  both  cases  is  identical.  He  stands  before 
you  framing  yet  another  of  those  objections  with 
which  he  has  endeavored  to  impede  the  cause  of 
humanity.  I  point  my  finger  at  him,  and  challenge 
him  to  deny  the  truth  of  the  statement  I  am  mak- 
ing. And  by  a  perfectly  logical  and  natural  ex- 
tension of  this  coincidence,  the  judge  who  sent  the 
butler  to  his  doom  is  seated  above  you  now  in  all 
the  panoply  of  his  office.  I  leave  him  now  if  he 
is  able  to  deal  in  a  like  manner  with  this  poor  Mag- 
dalene, who  may  or  may  not  have  fallen  by  the 
way." 

Northcote  sat  down  after  having  spoken  for 
nearly  three  hours.     The  December  darkness  had 

264 


THE    PERORATION 

long  fallen  upon  the  court.  The  feeble  gas-jets 
seemed  to  enhance  the  shadows  that  they  cast.  The 
intense  faces  of  the  overcrowded  building,  bar, 
jury,  populace  all  electrified,  seemed  to  belong  to  so 
many  ghosts,  so  pale,  shining,  and  transfigured  did 
they  gleam.  For  nearly  three  hours  had  the  advo- 
cate cast  his  spell;  yet  moment  by  moment,  in  the 
dominion  of  his  voice  and  the  cumulation  of  his 
effects,  he  had  increased  the  hold  upon  his  hearers. 
At  times  the  tension  had  been  so  great  that  it  had 
seemed  that  somebody  must  break  it  with  a  laugh; 
but  no  one  had  done  so.  One  and  all  were  swept 
forward  by  the  contained  impetuosity  of  the  orator ; 
by  the  restrained  and  gentle  modulations  of  a  power 
that  played  through  every  word  he  used ;  by  a  fero- 
cious irony  which  looked  like  tenderness,  so  little 
did  they  understand  its  nature;  and  above  all  by  the 
irresistible  magnetism  of  a  personal  genius  which 
rendered  the  most  perilous  obstacles  of  no  ac- 
count. 

None  had  foreseen  the  cruel,  terrible,  yet  melo- 
dramatic climax  to  which  the  advocate  was  leading ; 
and  when  it  came  over  the  minds  of  those  present, 
all  of  whom  in  the  course  of  the  speech,  even  the 
most  hardened  officers  of  the  court,  the  ushers,  the 
chaplain,  the  javelin  men,  and  the  newspaper  re- 
porters, had  passed  in  one  form  or  another  through 
all  the  anguish  of  the  spirit  of  which  they  were 
capable,  pity  and  horror  were  mingled  with  their 
overwrought  surprise.  As  the  advocate  stood  with 
his  huge  and  livid  face  turned  upwards  towards  the 
judge,  with  an  ineffable  emotion  suffusing  it,  and 
the  old  man,  with  tears  dripping  quickly  on  to  his 
ermine,  put  his  two  fat,  white  hands  before  his  eyes, 

265 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

a  feeling  of  silence  and  terror  seemed  to  pervade 
the  court. 

The  advocate  sat  down  with  parched  lips.  The 
hush  that  ensued  was  so  long  that  it  seemed  it  would 
never  come  to  an  end. 

It  was  broken  by  a  commotion  among  the  public 
benches.  A  woman  who  had  fainted  was  being 
carried  out  at  the  back  of  the  court.  The  incident 
served  to  unloose  the  electricity  which  was  pent  up 
in  the  atmosphere.  A  voice  from  the  solicitor's 
well  was  heard  to  pronounce  the  word  "  Shame !  " 
In  an  instant  it  was  answered  by  the  multitude  with 
a  volley  of  the  wildest  cheers  that  was  ever  heard  in 
a  court  of  justice.  All  the  ragged,  tattered,  de- 
spised, broken  and  rejected  units  of  the  population, 
those  humble,  hungry,  and  inarticulate  creatures 
upon  whom  Jesus  himself  had  wrought  his  magic, 
upon  whom  he  had  depended  for  countenance,  took 
up  the  challenge,  and  with  their  wild  and  hoarse 
cries  flung  it  back  upon  him  who  had  uttered  it. 

For  a  time  the  scene  was  one  of  consternation. 
The  judge  was  but  a  poor,  senile,  old  man,  from 
whom  the  tears  were  leaping.  Every  official  looked 
towards  him  for  his  prop  and  stay,  but  all  there  was 
to  see  was  feeble  and  inept  old  age.  The  Clerk  of 
Arraigns,  as  pale  as  a  ghost  and  trembling  violently, 
was  spreading  his  hands  before  an  alderman.  Po- 
licemen stood  dismayed,  and  officers  of  the  court, 
who  had  grown  old  and  despotic  in  its  service, 
looked  towards  one  another  helplessly,  seeking  for 
that  authority  which  none  had  the  power  to  exer- 
cise. 

''  I  never  thought,"  said  the  companion  of  the  fat 
barrister,  "  we  should  come  to  this  in  England.    It 

266 


THE    PERORATION 

is  a  disgrace  to  Eng^lish  justice.  That  fellow  must 
be  brought  before  the  general  council.  They  must 
take  away  his  wig  and  gown." 

"  A  little  less  prejudice  and  a  little  more  apprecia- 
tion, dear  boy,"  said  the  fat  barrister,  wiping  his 
eyes  stealthily.  "  That  lad  will  be  a  peer  of  the 
realm  long  before  they  make  you  a  stipendiary." 

"  He  is  either  the  greatest  madman  or  the  great- 
est genius  who  was  ever  called  to  the  bar." 

"  Probably  both,  dear  boy." 


2t)7 


XXVIII 

THE   SUMMING   UP 

The  barrister  who  had  ventured  to  give  a  public 
expression  to  his  opinion  was  that  nurshng  of 
wealth,  the  youthful  ex-president  of  the  Oxford 
Union. 

"  You've  done  it  now/'  said  the  son  of  the  Master 
of  the  Rolls.  "  They  will  have  in  the  roof.  They 
were  only  waiting-  for  a  leader." 

"  With  all  respect  to  your  school,"  said  the  ex- 
president  heatedly,  "  this  fellow  is  a  disgrace  to  it, 
also  to  his  profession.  It  was  the  act  of  a  black- 
guard to  throw  that  at  the  judge.  He  is  not  a  gen- 
tleman." 

"  Rough,  of  course,  on  the  poor  old  judge,  but 
he's  playing  to  win,  as  he  always  did.  Hullo,  the 
poor  old  boy  is  coming  up  to  the  scratch." 

Order  had  been  at  last  restored,  or  more  correctly 
had  restored  itself;  and  in  thin  and  shaken  tones  the 
judge  began  his  summing  up.  He  had  conquered 
his  emotion,  and  in  a  perfectly  simple,  plain,  and 
audible  manner  he  was  able  to  give  expression  to 
that  which  he  desired  to  say.  It  afforded  the  keen- 
est relief  to  the  bar,  which  was  so  profoundly  jeal- 
ous of  professional  prestige,  that  after  all  the  pre- 
siding judge  should  be  able  to  reassert  himself  suffi- 
ciently to  invest  with  a  certain  dignity  his  own  pro- 
cedure in  his  own  court.  His  words  were  charged 
with  deep  feeling,  but  the  most  critical  among  his 

268 


I 


THE    SUMMING   U? 

listeners  could  discern  nothing  derogatory  to  his 
office  in  his  mode  of  utterance. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  he  began ;  and  al- 
though the  sound  of  his  voice  was  divested  of  that 
roughness  and  irascibility  by  which  it  was  known, 
it  yet  enchained  the  attention  of  his  hearers,  since 
intensity  of  feeling  had  rendered  it  singularly  har- 
monious, "  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  before  I  refer  to 
the  details  of  this  terrible  case  I  desire  to  record  my 
opinion  of  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  con- 
ducted. The  coimsel  for  the  defence  is  a  young 
man,  and  in  the  nature  of  things  his  experience  in 
cases  of  this  kind  cannot  be  extensive.  But  I  would 
like  to  affirm  that  never  within  my  own  knowledge 
has  a  more  remarkable  presentation  of  the  art  of  ad- 
vocacy come  within  the  pundew  of  this  court.  Mr. 
Northcote  is  a  young  man,  but  the  display  of  his 
genius  —  I  can  use  no  smaller  word  —  which  re- 
cently he  has  made,  is  an  honor  to  human  nature. 
As  an  old  advocate,  I  tender  my  sincere  congratula- 
tions to  him,  and  I  hope  that  the  career  he  has 
chosen  to  follow  will  in  every  way  be  worthy  of  the 
nobility  of  his  talent.'' 

A  murmur  of  applause  greeted  this  eulogium.  It 
had  been  rendered  with  such  obvious  feeling  and 
delicacy  that  every  word  rang  true,  and  touched  the 
chord  that  was  dominant  in  the  hearts  of  all. 

"  Well  done,  Bow-wow,"  said  the  fat  barrister, 
sniffing  and  blowing  his  nose,  "  I  trust  some  old  pal 
will  stand  you  a  bottle  at  the  Forum  this  eve- 
ning." 

"  That  is  the  English  gentleman,"  said  his  com- 
panion. "  I  expect  that  young  cad  is  feeling  rather 
cheap  just  at  present." 

269 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

"  Expect  nothing,  dear  boy.  Who  the  devil  are 
you  that  you  should  expect  anything?  You  could 
no  more  have  saved  that  woman  from  the  gallows 
than  you  could  have  jumped  across  the  moon." 

"  There  is  a  vexed  point  which  the  counsel  for  the 
defence  has  touched  upon,"  said  the  learned  judge, 
"  upon  which  I  hope  I  shall  be  excused  if  I  say  a 
few  words  before  approaching  the  case  which  oc- 
cupies your  painful  attention.  In  Crown  cases  it 
happens  frequently  that  the  prisoner  is  at  a  serious 
disadvantage  in  the  matter  of  representation. 
Counsel  of  great  eminence  may  be  briefed  for  the 
prosecution,  while  the  defence,  for  whose  conduct, 
as  a  general  rule,  very  little  money  is  forthcoming, 
has  not  the  means  to  secure  the  aid  of  counsel  of 
tried  worth  and  experience.  In  theory  the  judge  is 
assumed  to  hold  a  kind  of  watching  brief  for  the  ac- 
cused, inasmuch  that  it  is  his  duty  to  be  alive  to  any 
loophole  of  escape  that  may  present  itself  in  the 
course  of  the  evidence,  and  represent  that  loophole 
to  the  jury.  But  my  experience  has  shown  to  me 
that  that  loophole  is  extremely  unlikely  to  appear 
where  the  opposing  counsel  are  unequally  matched. 
In  theory  it  is  expected  of  the  counsel  for  the  Crown 
that  he  shall  keep  a  perfectly  open  mind  and  not 
allow  his  own  position  to  sway  his  conduct  of  the 
case;  but  a  long  experience  has  imposed  the  con- 
clusion upon  me  that  such  an  impartiality  as  this  is 
not  practicable  for  an  advocate  who,  in  the  exercise 
of  his  art,  is  compelled  by  the  fact  that  he  holds  a 
brief  to  exert  his  talent,  in  spite  of  an  unwritten  law, 
and  even  in  spite  of  himself,  to  the  fullest  capacity 
on  behalf  of  his  client. 

"  These  words,  gentlemen,  will  not  be  miscon- 
270 


THE    SUMMING   UP 

strued,  I  am  sure.  Nothing  is  farther  from  my 
intention  than  to  suggest  that  Crown  advocates 
wantonly  overstep  their  duty  or  go  outside  their 
jurisdiction.  But  I  do  suggest  that  they  feel  im- 
pelled to  do  their  utmost  for  their  client,  and  that 
client  is  the  Treasury.  And  having  that  very 
proper  and  natural  feeling  in  their  minds  it  is 
humanly  impossible  for  them  to  approach  their  task 
of  promoting  a  conviction  in  the  academic  spirit 
which  in  theory  is  imposed  upon  them.  Therefore 
you  will  conceive  how  difficult  becomes  the  function 
of  a  judge  who  is  called  upon  in  the  prisoner's  in- 
terest to  hold  the  scales  and  to  adjust  the  balance, 
when  there  is,  as  occurs  so  frequently,  a  grave  dis- 
parity between  the  ability  and  the  professional  ex- 
perience of  the  contending  counsel.  The  judge 
himself,  gentlemen,  is  only  human,  and  although 
his  familiarity  with  the  procedure  of  a  criminal 
trial  may  render  him  less  vulnerable  to  the  art  of 
a  skilful  advocate  than  those  who  are  not  so  fa- 
miliar with  those  forms  of  procedure,  at  the  same 
time  I  feel  entitled  to  assert  that  every  judge  must 
in  a  measure  be  susceptible  to  the  manner  in  which 
evidence  is  conveyed  to  his  notice,  and  the  manner 
in  which  it  is  dissected  before  his  eyes. 

"  You  will  forgive  me,  gentlemen,  I  hope,  in 
making  what  may  seem  to  be  a  digression  from  this 
extremely  painful  case  we  are  considering,  but  it  is 
a  point  that  arises  very  naturally  out  of  it.  The 
counsel  for  the  defence  saw  fit  to  touch  upon  it  in 
the  course  of  his  address,  and  I  would  like  to  as- 
sure him  and  to  assure  you  that  during  the  five 
and  twenty  years  I  have  had  the  honor  to  occupy 
a  seat  on  the  judicial  bench,  this  question  has  seemed 

271 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

to  me  of  such  paramount  importance  that  it  has 
been  constantly  before  my  mind.  This  is  the  last 
opportunity  I  shall  have  of  making  a  reference  to 
it  in  the  presence  of  you  gentlemen  of  the  jury; 
this  is  the  last  occasion  on  which  I  shall  take  my  seat 
in  this  or  any  other  court;  therefore  I  feel  a  desire 
to  record,  with  whatever  authority  twenty-five 
years  of  public  service  may  confer  on  a  mere  ex- 
pression of  opinion,  the  conclusion  at  which  I  have 
arrived. 

"  In  the  ears  of  many  my  conclusion  will  sound 
Utopian,  in  many  minds  it  will  seem  to  be  a  counsel 
of  perfection,  for  it  is  this.  In  important  criminal 
cases  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Crown  to  make  the  same 
ample  provision  for  the  accused  as  it  does  for  itself. 
It  should  afford  equal  facilities  to  the  accused  per- 
son to  establish  his  innocence  as  it  affords  to  itself 
to  establish  his  guilt.  After  many  profound  search- 
ings  of  heart,  more  particularly  upon  circuit,  where 
cases  affecting  the  life  and  liberty  of  the  subject 
are  so  often  left  entirely  to  the  discretion  of  a  rural 
practitioner,  this  is  the  conclusion  I  have  reached. 
Such  a  conclusion  will,  I  fear,  be  taken  as  a  con- 
fession of  weakness  on  the  part  of  an  individual 
judge.  It  is  a  confession  of  weakness,  gentlemen, 
but  I  do  not  think  I  shall  be  contradicted  when  I 
urge  that  it  is  a  confession  which  the  strongest  and 
most  able  of  my  learned  brethren  have  been  called 
upon  over  and  over  again  in  their  heart  of  hearts 
to  make. 

"  The  terrible  miscarriage  of  justice  which  oc- 
curred a  year  ago  in  this  court,  for  which  I  alone 
can  accept  responsibility,  for  which  to  this  present 
hour  I  have  not  ceased  to  mourn,  would  not  have 

272 


THE    SUMMING    UP 

taken  place  had  the  defence  been  in  a  position  to 
present  its  testimony,  and  to  marshal  its  facts  with 
a  skill  equal  to  that  enjoyed  by  the  prosecution. 
The  most  material  issue  in  the  case  was  never  pre- 
sented at  all.  Its  existence  was  not  even  revealed. 
Neither  the  prosecuting  counsel  nor  the  presiding 
judge  was  aware  that  the  defence  had  this  imple- 
ment in  its  possession  until  long  after  this  miscar- 
riage had  been  consummated.  Do  not  misunder- 
stand me,  gentlemen;  I  hold  no  brief  for  myself; 
I  accept  the  whole  of  the  responsibility  for  what 
took  place.  It  was  my  duty  to  unveil  that  which 
was  hidden,  and  to  present  it  adequately  to  the 
jury.  I  failed  in  that  duty,  because  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  case  the  defence  was  overshadowed. 
The  actual  murderer  himself  was  called  in  evidence 
by  the  Crown ;  it  was  upon  his  unshaken  testimony 
that  the  verdict  was  rendered;  but  as  was  only 
learned  when  too  late,  had  one  obscure  question 
been  pressed  home  in  cross-examination  to  this 
murderer  who  had  perjured  himself  to  conceal  his 
guilt,  his  testimony  could  not  have  lived  five  min- 
utes in  any  impartial  mind,  and  a  lamentable,  a 
grievous  miscarriage  of  justice  would  not  have 
stained  the  annals  of  this  English  justice  of  which 
very  rightly  and  properly  we  are  so  proud." 

Again  a  profound  silence  had  descended  upon 
the  court.  The  painful  and  close-breathing  inten- 
sity with  which  all  in  that  crowded  assembly  had 
followed  the  prisoner's  advocate  through  the  de- 
vious courses  of  his  address  was  now  extended 
to  the  judge.  There  was  nothing  in  the  words 
he  used  to  call  forth  this  hush  of  excited  expec- 
tation, but  the  emotion  with  which  they  were  in- 

273 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

vested  seemed  to  furnish  them  with  life  and  mag- 
netism.        _, 

"  All  his  life,'*  whispered  the  fat  barrister  to 
his  friend,  in  a  tone  of  curious  tenderness,  "  he  has 
been  a  blusterer  and  a  blunderer,  overanxious, 
pedantic,  weak-willed,  easily  led,  but  —  but  his  end 
is  glorious.  This  is  a  note  he  has  never  touched 
before." 

"  This  state  defence  of  prisoners  is  so  much  mis- 
chievous nonsense,"  said  the  other  almost  angrily. 
"  Where  does  he  suppose  it  will  land  the  country? 
A  judge  has  no  right  to  advance  such  an  opinion 
from  the  bench." 

"  Bill,"  said  the  fat  barrister,  with  a  solemnity 
for  which  none  of  his  friends  would  have  been 
prepared,  "  when  you  have  been  one  of  His 
Majesty's  judges  for  twenty-five  years  you  may  not 
hold  quite  such  definite  opinions.  Dear  old  Bow- 
wow; all  the  world  knows  that  underneath  his 
armor  he  has  kept  the  kindest  heart  that  ever  beat, 
but  this  is  the  first  time  he  has  made  me  feel  that 
I  wanted  to  blub." 

"  'Pon  my  word,  Jumbo,"  said  his  friend,  im- 
patiently, "  don't  you  begin.  We  have  had  enough 
mawkishness  this  afternoon  to  last  us  for  the  rest 
of  our  lives.  I  expect  Weekes  will  be  falling  on 
the  neck  of  Topott  soon,  and  the  clerk  will  be 
kissing  the  sheriff." 

"  Dear  old  Bow-wow,  dear  old  boy,  how  old  he 
is  getting.  They  say  this  John  Davis  affair  has 
cut  him  up  dreadfully.  There  is  not  a  judge  on  the 
bench  who  would  feel  it  more." 

''  Probably  the  weakest  judge  who  ever  took 
his  seat  on  the  bench.     What  is  he  maundering 

274 


THE    SUMMING   UP 

about  now?  Ah,  at  last  he's  got  to  the  summing 
up." 

The  hour  was  advancing,  and  happily  the  judge's 
speech  was  not  of  the  length  which  at  one  time  it 
had  threatened  to  be.  The  summing-up  was  short 
but  indecisive.  It  was  plain  that  the  prisoner's 
advocate  had  done  his  work  with  the  judge  as  well 
as  with  the  jury.  There  was  nothing  in  the  judge's 
presentment  of  the  evidence,  which  at  one  time 
had  looked  so  damning,  tO'  compare  with  the  reso- 
lution and  conviction  of  Northcote.  The  magnetic 
splendor  and  brilliancy  which  had  overcome,  one 
by  one,  the  twelve  good  men  and  true  in  the  box, 
had  fastened  also  upon  this  old  man.  His  con- 
fidence was  shaken,  and  the  definite  line  the  counsel 
for  the  Crown  had  so  confidently  expected  him  to 
take  was  far  to  seek. 

"  This  is  doing  us  no  good,"  grunted  Mr.  Weekes 
to  his  junior.  By  now  the  leader  for  the  Crown 
was  in  a  very  bad  temper.  His  afternoon  had  been 
wasted,  he  was  going  to  be  late  for  his  dinner, 
and  he  was  about  to  lose  a  verdict  upon  which  he 
had  counted  with  certainty.  "  My  dear  Bow-wow, 
you  are  positively  maudlin.  Why  the  deuce  don't 
you  leave  the  doubt  alone  and  confine  yourself  to 
the  evidence?  There  is  no  doubt.  There  is  not 
a  leg  for  them  to  stand  on." 

"  There  was  not  half  a  leg  for  them  to  stand  on 
at  the  beginning,"  said  Mr.  Topott,  with  scrupu- 
lous modesty,  *'  but  now  as  the  end  approaches, 
they  appear  to  be  standing  upon  two  thoroughly 
sound  ones.  I  think  I  said  at  lunch  I  was  fright- 
ened to  death  of  that  fellow." 


275 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Much  good  that  did  the  case,"  snapped  Mr. 
Weekes. 

''  You  were  so  sanguine,  my  dear  fellow,"  said 
Mr.  Topott,  with  his  modesty  taking  an  almost 
angelic  note.  He  was  a  young  man,  able  and  am- 
bitious; and  his  private  opinion  of  his  leader  was 
of  a  nature  that  wild  horses  would  not  have  caused 
him  to  expose.  "  You  pooh-poohed  everybody  and 
everything  at  lunch.  The  case  was  as  dead  as  mut- 
ton; their  man  was  a  beginner;  you  and  Bow- 
wow were  going  to  take  care  that  he  did  no  harm." 

"  Well,  Topott,  I  must  say  you  never  lose  an 
opportunity  of  rubbing  things  in." 

"  Perhaps  that  is  so,"  said  Mr.  Topott,  dreamily. 
"  Perhaps  I  am  rather  good  at  rubbing  things  in. 
Perhaps  that  is  my  metier.'" 

"  Then  perhaps  you  will  provide  yourself  with 
another.  To  my  mind  this  one  is  not  at  all  amus- 
mg. 

"  I  suspect  that  is  so.  But  now  this  case  has 
gone  to  pot,  I  hope  you  will  not  be  angry,  Weekes, 
if  I  inform  you  that  the  fault  is  not  yours.  You 
have  simply  been  knocked  out  in  a  fair  and  square 
battle.  But  I  hope  you  will  not  repine;  because 
there  is  not  a  man  in  England  to-day  who  could 
have  stood  up  against  that  fellow.  He  chose  ex- 
traordinary weapons,  but  they  were  those  he  knew 
how  to  use.  No  disgrace  attaches  to  you ;  you  have 
taken  the  knock  quite  honestly;  and  if  the  attorney 
had  been  here  he  would  have  had  to  take  it  too." 

"  Thank  you,  Topott,"  said  Mr.  Weekes,  tartly ; 
"  I  wish  I  could  have  your  testimonial  in  writing." 

"  By  all  means,"    said  Mr.  Topott. 

"  Just  listen  to  that  old  fool,"  said  Mr.  Weekes, 
276 


THE    SUMMING   UP 

petulantly.  "  Whoever  heard  such  rubbish  as  he 
is  talking?  It  is  time  he  resigned.  Nobody  actually 
saw  her  put  the  poison  in.  Absence  of  motive.  Pris- 
oner entitled  to  every  doubt  that  may  arise.  Every 
link  must  be  forged  in  the  chain  of  all  evidence  that 
is  purely  circumstantial.  No  credence  can  be 
given  to  the  testimony  of  half  the  witnesses  for 
the  Crown.  My  dear  Bow-wow,  I  really  never 
heard  such  nonsense  in  my  life." 

**  An  hour  ago  you  never  heard  such  blasphemy." 

"  I  would  to  God  the  attorney  had  held  this 
brief!  "  said  Mr.  Weekes,  desperately. 

"  You  may  count  on  one  thing,"  said  Mr. 
Topott ;  '*  he  will  never  let  you  hear  the  last  of 
this.  Won't  he  chuckle?  He  will  pull  your  leg 
about  it  for  the  next  ten  years." 

'*  I  hope  you  will  tell  him,  Topott,"  said  Mr. 
Weekes  anxiously,  "  that  he  would  have  done  no 
better." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  say  he  would  have  done  no  better," 
said  the  impartial  Mr.  Topott.  "  He  would  have 
done  better.  He  would  never  have  let  that  chap 
get  as  far  as  he  did,  even  if  he  had  had  to  ascend 
the  bench  and  take  poor  old  Bow-wow  by  the  tippet. 
But  I  do  say  he  also  would  have  had  to  take  his 
gruel,  and  he  would  have  lost  his  verdict." 

"  Oh,  we  have  not  lost  it  yet." 

"  We  shall  have  lost  it  in  another  quarter  of 
an  hour." 


277 


XXIX 

THE    VERDICT 

It  was  a  quarter-past  seven  by  the  time  Mr. 
Justice  Brudenell  had  concluded  his  summing-up. 
Long  before  he  had  reached  the  end,  a  prediction 
of  the  result  had  formed  in  every  mind.  This  case 
which  in  the  beginning  had  been  as  clear  and  strong 
as  the  sun  at  noon  had  become  so  vitiated  by  con- 
tact with  these  legal  wits,  that  by  now  even  its 
most  salient  points  had  become  obscure.  No  jury 
in  the  frame  of  mind  of  this  present  one,  each 
component  of  which  had  been  played  upon  like  the 
strings  of  a  harp  by  the  hand  of  a  master  per- 
former, was  in  the  least  likely  to  convict.  There 
were  those  who  even  inclined  to  the  belief  that  they 
would  not  leave  the  box. 

This,  however,  proved  to  be  an  extreme  view. 
They  did  leave  the  box,  but  in  exactly  nine  min- 
utes had  returned  into  court.  As  slowly  they  de- 
filed back  again  into  the  court  with  their  verdict, 
the  excitement  depicted  in  their  looks  was  painful 
to  observe.  Their  drawn  faces  were  livid  and  per- 
spiring; they  kept  down  their  heads  without 
glancing  to  the  right  or  to  the  left.  The  foreman, 
a  coal  dealer  in  a  small  way  of  business  in  the 
Commercial  Road,  was  seized  with  a  violent 
twitching  of  the  body. 

"  Are  you  agreed  upon  your  verdict,  gentle- 
men?"   whispered  the  Clerk  of  the  Arraigns. 

278 


THE    VERDICT 

"  We  are,"  said  the  foreman  of  the  jury,  in  a 
voice  that  could  hardly  be  heard. 

"  What  is  your  verdict,  gentlemen?  " 

"  We  return  a  verdict  of  —  of  —  " 

The  conclusion  of  the  sentence  seemed  to  die 
in  the  foreman's  throat. 

"  Will  you  please  speak  in  such  a  manner  that 
his  lordship  may  hear  you  ?  "   said  the  clerk. 

"  We  return  a  verdict  of  not  guilty,"  said  the 
foreman,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  rail  before 
him.  To  the  horror  of  many  who  observed  him, 
he  appeared  to  trace  some  words  upon  it  with  his 
finger. 

The  demonstration  which  followed  the  verdict 
had  been  anticipated,  and  accordingly  on  this  oc- 
casion the  officers  of  the  court  were  able  in  some 
measure  to  control  it. 

No  sooner  had  the  judge  uttered  a  few  words, 
which  in  the  clamor  were  inaudible,  than  he  rose 
\  hastily  from  his  seat.  In  the  same  instant  North- 
cote  rose  also,  and  that  voice  and  presence  which 
for  so  many  hours  had  exercised  such  an  unques- 
tioned sway  at  once  detained  those  who  were 
thronging  eagerly  through  the  doors  into  the  raw 
December  darkness. 

''  Before  the  court  rises,"  said  Northcote,  "  I 
crave  your  lordship's  indulgence  for  a  brief  mo- 
ment." 

The  judge  bowed  courteously  and  resumed  his 
seat,  a  little  unsteadily  as  was  thought  by  those 
who  were  near  to  him. 

"  I  desire  to  offer  to  your  lordship,"  said  the 
young  advocate,  with  a  humility  that  was  affect- 
ing,   "  in  a  public  manner,  an  ample  and  an  un- 

279 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

reserved  apology  for  an  allusion  which  had  the 
misfortune  to  fall  from  my  lips.  I  gave  utterance 
to  it  in  a  moment  of  great  mental  excitement,  and 
at  that  moment  I  did  not  realize,  so  completely  was 
I  under  the  domination  of  the  end  I  had  in  view, 
that  in  a  sense  such  an  allusion  was  an  indictment 
of  your  lordship  and  of  that  high  office  upon  which, 
during  a  quarter  of  a  century  past,  your  lordship 
has  conferred  honor.  I  beg  to  be  allowed  to  crave 
your  lordship's  forgiveness.  Had  these  words  not 
been  spoken  at  a  time  when  I  was  overcome  by 
the  heat  of  advocacy,  they  would  never  have  been 
spoken  at  all." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Northcote,"  said  the  judge 
in  a  low  but  distinct  voice.  "  I  understand  per- 
fectly well  the  circumstances  in  which  these  words 
were  spoken.  They  gave  me  pain,  but  I  do  not 
hold  you  blameworthy.  I  viewed  with  keen  sym- 
pathy the  position  in  which  you  were  placed;  and 
I  accept  without  reservation  the  apology  which  with 
an  equal  absence  of  reservation  you  have  conceived 
it  your  duty  to  tender  to  me.  I  don't  know 
whether  I  can  be  permitted  to  offer  a  suggestion 
in  a  matter  of  this  kind,  but  if,  Mr.  Northcote,  you 
could  see  your  way  towards  the  inclusion  of  your 
friend  Mr.  Weekes  in  this  extremely  honorable 
amende  — '' 

"  I  will,  my  lord  —  I  do !  "  cried  the  impetuous 
young  man,  turning  towards  the  place  of  the  senior 
counsel  for  the  Treasury. 

''  I  regret  to  say,  my  lord,"  said  Mr.  Topott, 
rising  and  bowing  to  the  judge  and  to  Northcote, 
"  that  my  learned  friend  has  already  left  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  court;    but  I  feel  sure  I  am  entitled 

280 


THE    VERDICT 

to  state,  that  were  he  now  present  he  would  accept 
these  words  of  Mr.  Northcote  in  the  spirit  in  which 
they  are  offered." 

The  judge  left  the  bench  and  the  court  emptied 
rapidly.  Mr.  Whitcomb,  who  had  remained  most 
of  the  day  in  Northcote' s  vicinity,  plucked  him  by 
the  sleeve  as  he  rose  and  gathered  his  papers. 

"  I  know  now  what  you  mean  by  the  genie," 
said  he.  "  I  shall  send  a  wire  to  Tobin  at  the 
hospital.  I  should  like  to  see  his  face  when  he 
gets  it." 

Northcote  was  too  highly  wrought  to  appreciate 
a  word  that  was  uttered  by  the  solicitor.  He  could 
only  smile  and  nod  and  wish  him  good  night,  all 
of  which  was  done  with  incoherence  and  abrupt- 
ness. As  the  young  man  passed  out  of  the  court, 
an  elderly  unfortunate,  without  any  teeth,  one-half 
of  whose  face  had  been  destroyed  by  disease,  crept 
from  her  hiding-place  in  a  dark  corner  of  the 
corridor.  She  grabbed  the  hem  of  Northcote's 
gown  and  carried  it  to  her  lips. 

"  Gawd  bless  yer,  guv'ner,"  she  mumbled,  in  a 
thick,  wheezy  whisper. 

In  the  barristers'  robing-room  the  entrance  of 
Northcote  created  a  stir.  Jumbo,  a  bencher  of 
Northcote's  inn,  and  like  all  who  are  not  afraid 
to  present  themselves  without  reserve,  just  as 
nature  devised  them,  a  man  of  immense  popularity, 
hit  the  young  advocate  a  blow  on  the  shoulder. 

"When  can  I  stand  you  a  bottle,  dear  boy? 
Fine  work ! " 

The  son  of  the  Master  of  the  Rolls  came  up. 

"  I  say,   Northcote,"    he  said,    "  you  don't  re- 

281 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

member  me?  I'm  Hutton.  I  was  in  Foxey's  house 
with  you  at  school." 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  said  Northcote,  hardly 
knowings  a  word  that  he  spoke ;  *'  I  remember  you 
perfectly  well.    You  have  not  altered  at  all." 

"You've  not  altered  much,  although  you  look 
awfully  old  and  very  much  thinner  than  you  used 
to  look.  I  want  you  to  mention  an  evening  that 
you  can  come  round  and  dine  with  my  governor  — 
you  remember  the  governor  I  used  to  get  ragged 
so  tremendously  for  boasting  about?  He  will  be 
delighted  to  meet  you.  I  shall  tell  him  all  about 
this;   he  is  the  kindest  old  soul." 

"  Thanks,  but  I  can't  dine  with  you  until  I've 
got  my  evening  clothes  out  of  pawn." 

Northcote's  schoolfellow  laughed  heartily. 

"  No,  you've  not  altered,"  he  said.  "  Just  the 
same  amusing  cynical  old  cuss  you  were  at  school 
—  just  the  same  cynical  old  cuss  of  whom  we  were 
so  much  afraid  and  who  was  so  frightfully  un- 
popular." 

"  Poverty  and  pride  were  never  a  popular  com- 
bination," said  Northcote,  aroused  from  his  pre- 
occupation by  the  sympathy  of  one  of  the  few  who 
had  supported  him  in  his  youth.  "  If  I  hadn't 
been  a  bit  of  a  football-player  I  don't  know  what 
would  have  happened  to  me  in  those  days.  I  used 
to  derive  pleasure,  I  remember,  from  insulting 
everybody." 

"  Foxey  used  to  call  you  Diogenes." 

"  He  used  to  say  that  Diogenes  was  consider- 
ably the  pleasanter  fellow  of  the  two." 

"  Poor  old  Foxey  always  feared  you,  I  believe, 
just  as  did  everybody  else.     You  were  a  gloomy, 

282 


THE    VERDICT 

dreamy  sort  of  chap  when  you  were  not  merely 
formidable.  I  remember  once  you  were  nearly 
superannuated.  And  do  you  remember  Foxey 
saying  there  was  nothing-  you  might  not  do,  if  only 
you  would  apply  your  mind  to  it;  but  as  it  was, 
he  was  sure  you  would  never  do  anything  ?  " 

"  I  lived  in  a  mental  fog  in  those  days,"  said 
Northcote,  with  a  dreary  laugh.  "  There  was  a 
thick  vapor  wrapped  all  round  my  brain.  I  could 
see  and  understand  nothing.  One  fact  only  was 
borne  in  upon  me  with  any  sort  of  clearness. 
It  was  that  I  was  vastly  superior  to  everybody 
else.    There  never  was  such  a  colossal  self-esteem." 

"  Well,  you  certainly  despised  everybody  in 
those  days.  And  you  must  have  gone  on  despising 
everybody  to  be  capable  of  doing  what  you  have." 

"  I  remember  I  was  generally  chosen  to  lead  the 
scrum  because  I  had  a  big  voice,"  said  Northcote, 
with  the  light  of  reminiscence  softening  his  grim 
mouth. 

"  But  your  voice  is  so  much  greater  now  than 
it  was  then,  although  it  was  always  an  immense 
booming  sort  of  thing  that  seemed  to  come  out  of 
your  boots.  But  your  hands  used  to  impress  me 
more  than  anything  else.  I  used  to  think  that  if 
I  had  hands  like  that  I  should  break  ribs  for  my 
private  amusement.  Do  you  remember  standing 
the  three-quarters  on  their  heads?  You  were  a 
hefty  brute  in  those  days." 

"  I  was  always  more  or  less  a  man  of  my  hands, 
yet  at  the  same  time  was  always  intensely  inter- 
ested in  myself.  I  used  to  consider  that  '  Cad  * 
Northcote  —  that  was  my  name  at  school,  although 
you  are  too  polite  to  remind  me  of  it  —  was  quite 

283 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

the  most  wonderful  person  who  had  ever  been 
born  into  this  world  or  into  any  other.  I  used  to 
lie  awake  all  night  taking  myself  to  pieces  as 
though  I  had  been  a  watch.  Sometimes  I  dreamed 
that  I  was  Napoleon,  and  that  it  had  come  to  pass 
that  he  had  been  chosen  to  lead  the  English  pack 
while  he  was  still  at  school." 

"  Well,  that  dream  came  true  at  any  rate,"  said 
his  schoolfellow,  with  an  outburst  of  enthusiasm. 
"  You  were  still  with  us  when  you  pushed  those 
Welshmen  all  over  the  place." 

The  conversation  was  curtailed  at  this  point  by 
the  appearance  of  the  judge's  marshal. 

"  Mr.  Northcote,"  said  this  courteous  and  nicely 
dressed  official,  ''  Sir  Joseph  would  be  very  much 
obliged  if  you  would  come  round  and  see  him  in 
his  room." 

"  Right  you  are !  I  will  be  round  in  a  minute," 
said  Northcote,  shaking  hands  with  his  old  school- 
fellow and  declining  an  invitation  to  dine  in  Eaton 
Square  the  next  evening  but  one. 


284 


XXX 

SIR    JOSEPH    BRUDENELL 

In  the  judge's  room  Northcote  found  its  occu- 
pant seated  in  an  armchair  at  the  side  of  the  fire. 
The  light  was  subdued,  and  the  face  of  the  old 
man  was  in  shadow  even  while  he  rose  to  receive 
his  visitor. 

"  I  thank  you  for  coming  to  see  me,  Mr.  North- 
cote," he  said,  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  will  not  detain 
you  long,  but  I  hope  you  will  sit  down." 

Northcote  accepted  the  seat  that  was  indicated 
opposite  to  the  judge's  armchair.  His  curiosity 
was  roused  in  a  strange  fashion  by  the  manner 
and  tone  of  this  old  man.  They  were  extremely 
kind  and  gentle,  almost  those  which  an  aged  and 
benevolent  parent  might  employ  when  about  to 
take  leave  of  a  favorite  son. 

"  If  you  will  allow  an  old  advocate,"  said  the 
judge,  leaning  back  in  his  chair  and  placing  the 
tips  of  his  fingers  together,  "  to  af^rm  it  again,  I 
have  been  impressed  by  your  conduct  of  this  case. 
My  memory  carries  me  back  a  long  way;  I  have 
been  more  than  fifty  years  at  the  bar  and  on  the 
bench.  During  that  period  I  have  been  brought 
into  contact  with  the  greatest  advocates  of  their 
day,  and  I  have  been  called  upon  to  bear  a  part 
in  many  of  the  leading  causes.  But  never,  Mr. 
Northcote,  —  I  emphasize  the  word,  —  has  it  been 
my  privilege  to  witness  a  performance  so  remark- 

2S5 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

able  on  the  part  of  one  who  is  young  and  untried 
as  the  one  given  by  you  to-day. 

"  In  the  first  place,  and  bearing  in  mind  the 
limited  character  of  your  opportunities,  I  cannot 
prfetend  to  know  how  it  has  been  achieved.  Your 
cross-examination  of  the  last  witness  called  for 
the  Crown  was,  in  my  view,  masterly.  I  have 
always  held,  and  many  will  support  me,  I  am  sure, 
that  the  art  of  cross-examination  is  a  searching 
test  of  an  advocate.  To  the  ordinary  person  even 
moderate  skill  in  that  supremely  difficult  branch 
only  comes  with  years  and  experience.  But  you 
begin,  Mr.  Northcote,  where  many  of  true  dis- 
tinction are  only  able  to  leave  off. 

"  I  have  always  been  proud,  jealous  —  I  might 
say  overjealous  perhaps  —  of  my  profession,  to 
which  I  have  given  the  flower  of  my  maturity; 
and  I  have  always  felt  that  whatever  degree  of 
talent  it  may  please  God  to  bestow  upon  a  man, 
this  great  profession  of  ours  offers  a  field  which 
brings  it  to  the  test.  You  must  let  me  say,  Mr. 
Northcote,  that  when  I  heard  you  deal  with  that 
poor  woman  this  morning,  and  I  heard  you  frame 
those  questions  which  you  put  to  her  with  a  really 
beautiful  sincerity  which  told  heavily  with  the 
jury,  I  felt  proud  that  so  young  a  man  could  stand 
up  so  fearlessly  and  so  collectedly  in  his  first  great 
criminal  cause  and  put  to  so  fine  a  use  the  talents 
that  God  had  given  to  him.  Had  you  been  my 
own  son  I  could  not  have  felt  prouder  of  you,  and 
prouder  of  the'  traditions  that  you  were  upholding. 
Many  of  the  great  lights  of  the  past  came  before 
my  eyes  —  Pearson,  now  the  Lord  Chief  Justice ; 
Hutton,  the  Master  of  the  Rolls;   poor,  dear  Fred 

286 


SIR   JOSEPH   BRUDENELL 

Markham,  in  many  respects  the  most  brilliant  of 
them  all,  who  was  cut  off,  poor  fellow,  almost  be- 
fore he  had  reached  his  prime;  the  late  George 
Stratton;  Lord  Ballinogue;  Walker;  Skeffington; 
and  I  know  not  how  many  more  —  but  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  believe,  although  we  old  men  are  tena- 
cious of  our  prejudices,  that  the  bounty  of  nature 
had  placed  you  already  on  their  level,  and  that 
great  and  good  and  glorious  as  were  all  these 
names  I  have  mentioned,  you  were  starting  at  the 
point  where  they  were  content  to  end." 

Northcote  leaned  forward  and  lowered  his  head 
with  a  fierce,  almost  uncontrollable  sensation  of 
bewilderment,  in  which,  however,  pain  was  pre- 
dominant. Every  word  that  was  uttered  by  that 
low,  trembling,  old  voice  appeared  to  spring  from 
the  heart.  It  was  something  more  than  an  old 
man  babbling  of  his  youth.  There  was  a  pride,  an 
eagerness,  a  solicitude,  in  the  manner  of  this  aged 
judge  which  seemed  to  clasp  Northcote  like  the 
impersonal  devotion  of  a  noble  woman  to  some- 
thing more  radiant  but  less  pure  and  less  rare  than 
that  which  emanates  from  herself.  In  the  keenness 
of  his  distress  it  was  as  much  as  Northcote  could  do 
to  refrain  from  rushing  from  the  room. 

"  Yet,  Mr.  Northcote,"  the  old  man  went  on, 
"if  I  say  this  of  your  cross-examination,  which 
as  far  as  you  are  concerned  was  a  thing  of  the 
moment,  a  mere  piece  of  esprit  thrown  off  without 
premeditation,  what  shall  I  say  of  that  address 
with  which  you  conquered  all  who  listened  to  it? 
I  speak  no  longer  as  a  judge,  Mr.  Northcote;  my 
livery  is  laid  by.  As  I  sat  there  in  court  with 
every  chord  in  my  heart  responsive  to  the  noble 

287 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

music  of  your  voice,  I  felt  that  you  had  brought 
home  to  me  that  the  time  had  come  when  I  had 
ceased  to  be  of  service  to  the  pubHc.  I  shall  take 
my  seat  on  the  bench  no  more.  But  henceforward 
I  shall  always  carry  your  words  in  my  heart.  They 
were  noble  words,  nobly  spoken;  nature  has  been 
almost  wantonly  lavish  to  you  in  her  gifts.  It  has 
been  given  to  you,  a  young  man,  to  show  that  the 
completest  abasement  of  human  nature  is  not  in 
the  gutter.  I  read  the  deeper  and  the  truer  mean- 
ing that  was  innermost,  the  divine  message  that 
was  unfolded  by  the  deep  vibrations  of  your  singu- 
larly beautiful  voice.  You  revealed  to  one  in 
that  court,  Mr.  Northcote,  who  should  have  been 
engaged  in  performing  his  duty  to  the  public,  that 
no  sore  festers  in  our  social  life  to-day  like  the 
organized  degradation  of  the  police-court,  where 
learning,  wisdom,  courage,  and  integrity  are  de- 
based to  even  fouler  depths  than  the  gutter  by  their 
constant  traffic  in  human  misery.  Many  times, 
Mr.  Northcote,  have  I  cowered  in  spirits  since  I 
have  been  called  to  my  office,  but  it  has  remained 
for  you,  a  young  advocate,  a  fledgling  of  a  newer 
and  grander  generation,  which  will  touch  this 
material  world  of  ours  to  finer  issues  —  it  has  re- 
mained for  you  to  knock  at  the  door  of  the  citadel 
of  the  oldest  of  his  Majesty's  judges,  and  to  put 
questions  that  he  cannot  answer.  You  forced  him 
to  say  to  himself,  *  Tell  me,  Joseph  Brudenell, 
what  law  you  are  obeying  when  you  take  your 
seat  on  these  cushions,  and  you  endeavor  to  fulfil 
the  functions  of  the  office  to  which  you  have  al- 
lowed yourself  to  be  called  ?  ' 

"  When,  Mr.  Northcote,  in  the  height  of  your 
288 


SIR   JOSEPH   BRUDENELL 

conviction  you  dared  to  swear  in  your  own  jury, 
you  made  every  member  of  it  actual  and  visible 
to  me.  You  may  have  been  uttering  a  profounder 
truth  than  you  knew  — which  is  one  of  the  many  pre- 
rogatives of  genius  —  when  you  asserted  that 
every  one  of  those  fearful  and  unhappy  tradesmen 
had  that  jury  within  him  in  the  jury-box.  As  you 
pointed  out,  we  are  the  heirs  of  all  the  ages:  the 
prisoner  and  the  policeman,  the  advocate  and  the 
judge.  And  he  whom  you  caused  this  jury  of  yours 
to  elect  as  their  foreman  showed  to  me  how  re- 
sponsible and  authentic  that  jury  was.  By  the 
magic,  Mr.  Northcote,  in  which  you  deal,  you  not 
only  evoked  that  foreman  in  the  spirit,  but  by  some 
miracle  you  clothed  him  in  flesh.  That  was  a  ter- 
rible achievement.  It  was  the  first  occasion  that 
the  redeemer  of  mankind  was  seen  to  be  in  the  oc- 
cupation of  a  seat  at  the  court  of  Old  Bailey. 

"  I  have  heard  all  the  great  advocates  of  my  time. 
I  was  present  on  that  memorable  occasion  when 
Selwyn  Anstruther  made  his  appeal  on  behalf  of 
Smith.  Anstruther  spoke  during  the  whole  of 
three  days;  as  an  orator  he  would,  with  equal  op- 
portunities, have  been  the  peer  of  Gladstone  and 
John  Bright.  Anstruther's  tradition  is  such  —  he 
had  killed  himself  with  overwork  by  the  time  he  was 
forty  —  that  he  has  become  almost  a  myth.  But 
even  this  speech  of  his  to  which  I  allude,  many 
phrases  of  which  I  can  recall  after  all  these  years, 
does  not  compare  forensically  with  this  appeal  of 
yours,  to  which  we  had  the  awful  privilege  of  listen- 
ing this  afternoon. 

"  Nature,  Mr.  Northcote,  as  I  have  said,  has  in 
your  case  been  almost  wantonly  lavish  of  her  gifts. 

289 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Like  one  who  was  compounded  of  pure  wisdom, 
you  appear  to  have  sprung  from  Jupiter's  fore- 
head completely  armed.  You  have  the  voice  and 
presence  of  the  tribune;  you  add  to  the  power  oi 
the  demagogue  a  cool,  elastic,  and  a  subtle  brain. 
I  know  not  which  to  marvel  at  the  more,  your  al- 
most reckless  courage,  or  that  wonderful  self- 
discipline  which  bends  a  courser  so  fiery  to  your 
lightest  behest. 

'*  You  must  bear  with  me  in  patience,  Mr.  North- 
cote,  while  I  exhaust  the  stock  of  my  superlatives; 
you  see  you  have  carried  an  old  advocate  away 
just  as  completely,  nay,  even  more  completely  than 
you  carried  those  honest  laymen.  This  afternoon 
you  furnished  an  old  warrior,  weary  of  the  arena, 
with  a  few  more  of  those  priceless  moments  which 
he  had  not  dared  to  hope  again  to  enjoy.  For 
over  and  above  all  your  other  qualities  you  have 
the  divine  gift  which  fuses  every  quality  you 
possess.  You  have  that  sympathetic  imagination 
which  is  the  gift  of  heaven.  It  is  a  key  which 
unlocks  every  bosom.  The  rich  and  the  poor  must 
alike  bow  before  it.  Things  and  men.  Nature  her- 
self, even  the  universe  itself,  if  you  care  to  address 
your  questions  to  it,  can  deny  to  you  none  of  their 
secrets.  The  foreman  of  your  jury,  the  divine 
mystic  of  the  Galilean  hills,  was  the  man  who  was 
endowed  with  that  rare  jewel  beyond  all  others; 
and  he,  as  we  read,  carried  the  multitude  from 
place  to  place  and  caused  the  sea  to  open  that  it 
might  walk  across." 

The  voice  of  the  judge  grew  lower  and  lower. 
He  had  spoken  very  rapidly,  and  under  the  impetus 
of  an  excitement  almost  painful  in  one  of  his  years. 

290 


SIR    JOSEPH    BRUDENELL 

Northcote  was  entranced  by  the  vivid  energy  of 
the  old  man,  and  the  tremulous  emotion  with  which 
his  words  were  charged.  It  seemed  to  be  uncanny 
that  he  should  be  sitting  there  to  listen.  There 
was  not  a  member  of  the  bar  who  would  have 
identified  in  the  transfigured  zealot  who  was 
pouring  forth  such  strange  words  the  personality 
of  Bow-wow  Brudenell,  the  irascible  old  blusterer 
who  was  considered  to  be  so  unsympathetic  and 
hard  to  please.  There  was  not  a  word,  not  a  ges- 
ture by  which  the  outer  man  who  had  become  so 
"  famous "  with  the  public  could  be  recognized. 
This  intense  mental  energy,  burning  like  a  lamp 
behind  the  harsh  creases  in  his  face,  seemed  to  have 
refined  him  and  rendered  him  beautiful.  The 
grand  passion  which  Northcote  had  unmasked 
filled  the  young  man  with  awe.  What  did  his  own 
imperious  qualities  amount  to  in  the  presence  of 
this  simplicity?  How  foolish,  how  divine  it  was! 
This  old  man,  whom  he  had  dubbed  in  his  arro- 
gance the  type  of  all  mediocrity,  shone  forth  with 
a  lustre  which  filled  its  beholder  with  shame. 

The  judge  rose  from  his  chair  with  an  effort. 
Northcote  also  rose.  The  old  man  seized  his  hand 
with  a  humble  gesture  which  yet  transcended  a 
parent's  tenderness. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  he  said  in  a  whisper,  "  I  did 
not  call  you  here  to  listen  to  this  unbridled  praise 
of  your  own  gifts.  But  I  felt  that  I  must  speak 
all  that  was  in  my  mind  concerning  you,  because 
I  love  you  —  I  love  you  for  what  you  are  and  for 
what  you  will  be.  All  my  life  I  have  had  a  passion 
for  my  profession,  and  I  bring  myself  to  speak 
these  words  to  you,  because  I  feel  that  I  hold  within 

291 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

my  grasp  the  newer,  the  wiser,  the  grander  gener- 
ation which  has  sprung  already  from  the  loins  of  us 
effete  old  warriors.  You,  my  dear  boy,  I  dare  to 
prophesy,  will  be  its  protagonist.  There  is  not  a 
prize  which  our  profession  offers  which  is  not  al- 
ready in  your  hand.  One  of  these  days  you  will 
be  called  to  its  highest  dignities.  I  foresee  that  you 
are  likely  to  become  a  dictator.  The  imperious  will 
by  which  you  are  impelled  invests  you  with  a  power 
that  soon  or  late  will  control  the  destinies  of  the 
state.  Therefore  an  old  public  servant  ventures 
to  speak  to  you  as  he  would  speak  to  his  own  son 
were  he  living  to  hear  his  words. 

"  The  material  lures  of  your  profession  are 
powerful,  but  I  entreat  you  never  to  consider  them. 
Be  a  strong  and  great  advocate  who  will  take  his 
stand  only  upon  truth.  In  the  infinity  of  your 
nature  you  are  fitted  to  walk  alone  in  the  strait 
places.  The  temptations  which  will  accost  one  of 
such  powers  will  not  be  light  ones,  but  if  you  can 
acquire  that  reverence  for  your  calling,  that  medi- 
ocrities like  myself  have  been  endowed  with 
throughout  their  days  owing  to  the  infinite  mercy 
of  God,  that  calling  has  nothing  to  fear  at  your 
hands.  It  will  derive  a  new  sanction  from  your 
genius.  But,  my  dear  boy,  this  is  a  terrible  gift 
which  you  possess.  It  is  a  two-edged  sword,  and 
if  in  a  moment  of  unwariness,  such  as  has  been 
known  to  visit  the  heroes  of  which  we  read,  one 
of  its  sharp  edges  should  be  turned  against  the 
society  in  which  you  dwell,  I  beseech  you  to  re- 
member the  other  edge  will  be  turned  against  your- 
self.    He  who  afiirms  this  is  a  humble  and  aged 


299 


SIR    JOSEPH    BRUDENELL 

servitor  of  truth,  and  on  that  plea  I  beg  you  to 
forgive  his  importunity." 

All  this  time  the  judge  had  been  holding  North- 
cote's  hand.  Towards  the  end  his  voice  seemed  to 
fail,  but  the  pressure  of  his  fingers  increased. 

"  These  are  my  last  words,"  he  said  feebly. 
"Guard  your  trust;  take  your  stand  upon  truth. 
May  God  keep  you.  One  who  is  old  will  remember 
you  in  his  prayers." 

Almost  involuntarily  the  judge  placed  his  hands 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  young  man  and  pressed 
his  lips  to  his  forehead. 

For  a  moment  Northcote  seemed  petrified  with 
bewilderment.  This  strange  message  from  one 
who  had  run  his  course  to  one  who  was  entering 
upon  his  own  atrophied  the  powers  of  speech  and 
motion.  At  last  he  tore  his  hand  from  the  judge's 
weakening  grasp  and  ran  from:  the  room.  In  his 
flight  he  seemed  to  detect  the  sound  of  something 
dull  and  heavy  falling  behind  him.  Yet  in  the 
depths  of  his  agitation  and  his  shame  he  did  not 
stay  to  look  back. 

He  was  soon  out  in  the  dark  streets.  Their 
coldness  and  commotion,  their  secrecy,  and  above 
all  their  freedom,  were  painfully  welcome.  He  had 
hardly  been  able  to  draw  breath  in  that  arena  in 
which  he  had  fought  his  battle  during  so  many 
dreadful  hours.  The  old  madness  of  movement, 
the  old  insensate  desire  for  liberty  overcame  him 
again,  and  hungry  and  weary  as  he  was  he  pro- 
ceeded to  tramp  fiercely  about  the  raw  winter  night. 

As  he  marched  without  aim  hither  and  thither, 
up  one  street  and  down  another,  he  had  no  thought 
of  the  astonishing  victory  he  had  gained.      The 

293 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

words  of  the  judge  had  overcome  everything  else". 
They  dealt  with  the  future ;  his  victory  was  already 
a  part  of  the  past.  His  pride  was  so  arbitrary 
that  it  appalled  and  humiliated  him  to  reflect  that 
any  man,  that  even  an  aged  servitor  of  the  truth,  in 
the  moment  of  renunciation  of  the  arduous  labors 
that  had  oppressed  him  for  so  many  years,  should 
have  had  the  temerity  to  address  words  of  such  im- 
port to  him. 

From  one  pair  of  eyes  at  least,  his  talents,  which 
had  at  last  wrested  recognition  from  a  jealous, 
narrow,  conventional  world,  had  not  been  able  to 
hide  the  dangers  with  which  they  were  girt.  This 
aged  judge  had  pierced  the  secret.  Those  senile 
old  eyes,  alone  of  those  in  the  court,  had  seen  the 
pitfalls  which  lay  beneath  his  triumph. 

He  ought  to  have  been  overwhelmingly  happy 
in  this  new  perambulation  of  the  darkness.  Yet  the 
sense  of  humiliation  was  paramount.  That  strength 
upon  which  all  his  life  his  extravagant  hopes  had 
been  nourished  had  proved  to  be  even  greater  than 
he  had  known,  but  the  under  side  of  his  nature,  to 
which  he  had  given  rein  in  order  to  grasp  success, 
opened  up  possibilities  that  were  strange  and  awful. 
Truth  and  justice  had  had  no  meaning  for  the  ter- 
rible genie  he  had  called  to  his  aid.  They  had  been 
used  as  so  many  cards  in  a  game.  The  judge  was 
right:  so  grievous  a  prostitution  of  a  noble  talent 
was  a  grave  public  danger.  On  the  first  occasion 
it  had  been  employed  it  had  compassed  a  notable 
miscarriage  of  justice. 

Towards  ten  o'clock  his  wanderings  carried 
him  into  Leicester  Square.  He  stayed  his  steps 
under  the  ghastly  lights  of  a  music  hall  and  made 

294 


SIR    JOSEPH    BRUDENELL 

the  discovery  that  he  was  faint  with  hunger  and 
fatigue.  With  a  dismal  sense  of  foreboding,  which 
habit  had  rendered  involuntary,  he  thrust  his  hands 
in  those  pockets  which  on  many  occasions  had  had 
nothing  to  yield.  To  his  joy  his  search  was  re- 
warded with  a  sovereign  and  a  halfpenny.  As  he 
held  the  coins  in  his  fingers  a  strange  weary  feeling 
of  gratitude  stole  over  him.  His  days  of  bodily 
privation  were  at  an  end.  Not  again  would  he  know 
what  it  was  to  need  food  and  yet  lack  the  where- 
withal of  obtaining  it.  After  all  he  must  not  dare 
to  deride  success.  Its  attributes  were  substantial, 
definite,  necessary. 

As  he  crossed  the  square  in  search  of  a  restau- 
rant of  whose  merits  he  was  aware,  the  large  letters 
of  the  news-bill  of  an  evening  journal  caught  his 
eye.  Murder  Trial  —  Sensational  Speech  for  the 
Defence  —  Scenes  in  Court  —  Verdict. 

''  Here,  boy,  a  paper,"  he  said,  holding  out  the 
halfpenny. 

He  clutched  the  paper  greedily  and  crumpled  it 
in  his  fist.  It  almost  seemed  as  he  did  so  that  fame 
itself  was  tangible,  that  it  was  something  that  he 
could  crumple  in  his  hand. 

In  the  eating-house  he  passed  a  glorious  hour  in 
which  he  devoured  beefsteak  and  potatoes  and  con- 
sumed a  tankard  of  ale.  He  read  the  account  of 
the  trial  over  and  over  again,  although  as  rendered 
by  the  evening  journal  it  had  no  meaning  for  him. 
Even  the  bald  resume  of  bare  facts  seemed  far 
otherwise  than  those  as  rendered  to  himself.  He 
could  not  recognize  one  of  the  incidents.  Hardly 
a  word  was  intelligible  to  the  chief  actor  in  that 
crowded  and  pregnant  drama.     "  Mr.  Norcutt  for 

295 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

the  defence  spoke  for  two  hours  fifty-eight  minutes. 
His  speech  was  full  of  Biblical  quotations,  and  even 
the  judge  was  affected  by  it." 

When  he  turned  out  again  into  the  streets  a 
newsboy  came  running  round  the  comer  of  Shaftes- 
bury Avenue.  He  was  crying,  *'  Here  y'are  hextry 
special.  Sensational  murder  trial  —  sudden  deff  of 
the  judge." 

Northcote  bought  another  newspaper  and  opened 
it  under  a  lamp.  In  the  space  reserved  for  the 
latest  telegrams,  these  words  were  printed  upside 
down,  "  We  regret  to  learn  that  Mr.  Justice 
Brudenell  expired  in  his  room  shortly  after  the 
conclusion  of  the  murder  trial  at  the  Central  Crimi- 
nal Court  this  evening.  The  cause  of  death  is  be- 
lieved to  be  heart  failure." 


2^6 


XXXI 

MEDIOCRITY    VERSUS    GENIUS 

North  COTE  could  confess  no  surprise.  But  it 
struck  him  with  a  sense  of  drama,  the  thrill  of  the 
unexpected  which  underlies  the  impact  of  the  com- 
mon, that  he  should  not  have  discerned  the  end  of 
this  aged  man  to  be  so  near.  The  sounds  he  had 
heard  as  he  rushed  from  the  room  must  have  been 
caused  by  that  venerable  figure  falling  to  the  floor. 
Sharply,  however,  as  he  felt  the  knife  of  reality 
in  all  its  brutal  power,  he  yet  refrained  from  specu- 
lating upon  the  scope  of  its  present  operation.  He 
was  now  tired  out;  his  brain  was  heavy.  He 
pushed  on  straight  to  his  attic,  climbed  the  dark 
stairs,  and  in  a  little  while  was  curled  under  a 
blanket  with  a  merciful  sleep  blotting  out  the  actual. 

He  was  summoned  peremptorily  from  oblivion 
by  the  noise  made  by  the  old  charwoman  in  draw- 
ing back  the  curtains  which  divided  his  garret  into 
two  apartments. 

"  Quarter  to  eight,  sir." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  he  muttered,  stretching  his  limbs 
and  brushing  the  sleep  from  his  eyes.  His  slumber 
had  been  that  of  abject  weariness;  deep,  dreanir 
less,  undisturbed.  He  jumped  out  of  bed,  slipped 
on  a  dressing-gown  that  hung  in  rags,  and  felt 
himself  to  be  once  more  the  complete  and  valiant 
man. 

When  he  sat  down  to  breakfast  he  sent  out  the 
297 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

old  woman  to  procure  the  morning  journals. 
Throughout  the  operation  of  dressing,  his  mind, 
inflamed  with  conquest  as  it  was,  was  filled  with 
thoughts  of  the  judge.  In  spite  of  its  length,  his 
career  on  the  bench  had  only  been  a  qualified  suc- 
cess; he  had  never  lacked  adverse  criticism.  In 
the  eyes  of  many  he  had  never  been  quite  strong 
enough  for  his  position. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  newspapers,  Northcote 
turned  first  to  the  obituary  notices,  rather  than  to 
the  accounts  of  the  trial  in  which  his  own  personal 
triumph  would  be  displayed.  Following  the  cus- 
tom of  bestowing  even  more  indiscriminate  eulogy 
upon  mediocrity  when  it  is  dead  than  it  receives 
when  it  is  living,  the  newspapers  vied  with  one 
another  in  descanting  upon  Sir  Joseph  Brudenell's 
services  to  the  public,  and  his  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind.  It  brought  immense  relief  to  Northcote  that 
this  was  the  case.  He  was  in  no  mood  to  suffer 
disparagement  of  that  venerable  figure. 

The  Age  had  a  leading  article  upon  the  trial, 
and  it  was  soon  apparent  to  the  advocate  that  its 
hostility  towards  himself  was  very  marked.  It 
said :  "  We  venture  to  think  that  a  more  singular 
speech  was  never  heard  in  a  court  of  justice.  It 
is  not  our  province  to  advance  opinions  which  en- 
croach upon  the  right  of  counsel  to  settle  for  them- 
selves what  is  proper  and  what  is  improper  in  the 
means  they  may  adopt  to  safeguard  the  interests 
of  an  accused  person,  particularly  in  cases  of  this 
nature.  But  it  does  seem  to  us,  and  we  believe 
this  view  is  shared  by  the  majority  of  competent 
persons  who  were  present  in  court,  that  the  course 
adopted  by  the  counsel  for  the  defence,  if  it  were 

298 


MEDIOCRITY    VERSUS    GENIUS 

to  become  general,  would  constitute  a  grave  public 
danger.  Mr.  Northcote  is  a  young  advocate,  whose 
reputation  is  yet  in  the  making;  and  in  yielding 
to  the  call  of  his  ambition,  he  adopted  a  means  for 
the  display  of  his  forensic  skill  the  propriety  of 
which  we  venture  seriously  to  call  in  question. 
Had  Mr.  Justice  Brudenell  —  whose  tragically 
sudden  death  (to  which  we  refer  on  page  9)  oc- 
curred within  an  hour  of  the  rising  of  the  court  — 
been  in  the  complete  enjoyment  of  that  mental  and 
bodily  vigor  which  during  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years  he  had  taught  the  public  to  look  for  in  the 
performance  of  his  avocations,  we  are  sure  that, 
to  use  a  mild  term,  such  a  travesty  as  that  with 
which  Mr.  Northcote  assailed  the  ears  of  the  jury 
would  not  have  been  allowed  to  invade  a  British 
Court  of  Judicature.  We  are  sure  it  would 
have  been  stopped  peremptorily  at  the  outset. 
As  it  was,  a  concatenation  of  unforeseen  circum- 
stances vouchsafed  to  the  counsel  for  the  defence 
a  license  of  which  he  availed  himself  to  the  full. 
And  the  result  we  can  only  regard  as  lamentable. 
"  The  youth  and  the  limited  experience  of  the 
counsel  for  the  defence  are  entitled  to  be  urged  on 
his  behalf;  while  the  physical  condition  of  the 
judge  which  resulted,  almost  immediately  this  ex- 
tremely painful  case  had  concluded,  in  his  tragi- 
cally sudden  death,  removes  from  his  shoulders 
the  least  onus  for  what  was  allowed  to  take  place. 
But  at  the  same  time  it  is  to  be  urged  upon  am- 
bitious members  of  the  junior  bar  that  yesterday's 
precedent  is  not  one  to  be  followed  with  impunity. 
Whatever  the  exigencies  of  the  moment  may  dic- 
tate to  young  counsel  in  course  of  a  trial  for  a  cap- 

299 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ital  offence,  public  opinion  will  not  permit  the  in- 
troduction of  the  doctrines  of  Nietsche  into  a 
British  Court  of  Justice.  The  parody  which  was 
perpetrated  yesterday  upon  religion  at  the  Central 
Criminal  Court  must  have  been  peculiarly  repug- 
nant to  every  reverently  constituted  mind,  while 
its  effect  upon  the  verdict  can  only  be  characterized 
as  a  total  failure  of  justice.  Again  the  effect  upon 
the  advocate  who  permitted  himself  to  indulge  in 
an  occupation  so  perilous  was  demonstrated  in  a 
remarkable  and  dramatic  manner  at  the  conclusion 
of  his  address.  The  reference  he  was  led  into  mak- 
ing, for  which  afterwards  he  was  impelled  to  make 
an  unreserved  apology,  to  the  miscarriage  of  jus- 
tice which  occurred  in  the  case  of  the  unfortunate 
man  John  Davis  a  year  ago,  a  reference  which  took 
the  form  of  an  impeachment  of  the  learned  judge 
himself,  and  of  Mr.  Weekes,  K.  C,  the  senior  coun- 
sel for  the  Crown,  can  only  be  characterized  as  a 
gross  breach  of  taste,  and  an  equally  gross  disre- 
gard of  those  higher  tenets  of  humanity  which  Mr. 
Northcote  in  addressing  the  jury  put  to  a  use  so 
questionable." 

"  Well  done,  old  Blunderer,"  said  the  recipient 
of  this  castigation,  his  mouth  full  of  buttered  toast, 
and  attempting  the  delicate  feat  of  propping  against 
the  teapot  the  instrument  with  which  it  had  been 
administered.  "  In  the  performance  of  your  '  daily 
avocations,'  my  dear  old  friend,  you  are  to  be 
admired.  The  *  doctrines  of  Nietsche '  is  distinctly 
good.  Whatever  will  happen  to  us  in  this  country 
when  you  can  no  longer  be  bought  for  threepence 
I  am  sure  I  don't  know." 

However,  when  the  young  man  had  finished  his 
300 


MEDIOCRITY    VERSUS    GENIUS 

breakfast,  and  he  had  read  the  article  again,  he 
did  not  view  it  with  quite  the  same  air  of  detach- 
ment with  which  he  had  contemplated  it  at  first. 
By  nature  he  was  immensely  impatient  of  criti- 
cism. He  accepted  his  own  superiority  to  all  the 
rest  of  the  world  without  question,  but  like  an  ar- 
bitrary despot,  he  could  not  suffer  the  power  of 
which  he  felt  so  secure  to  suffer  misinterpretation, 
or  the  motives  that  impelled  it  to  be  called  in  ques- 
tion. His  pride,  after  all,  was  of  a  ferocious  and 
aggressive  kind.  The  old  judge's  appeal  had  hu- 
miliated him  bitterly.  This  newspaper  article  filled 
him  with  the  fury  that  it  would  have  filled  Vol- 
taire. 

"  I  see  what  it  is,"  he  said,  filling  his  pipe.  "  They 
are  all  in  the  ring,  and  they  are  afraid  a  rank  out- 
sider is  going  to  break  it.     And  so  he  shall !  " 

He  finished  with  a  volley  of  oaths. 

The  next  moment  tears  had  sprung  to  his  eyes. 
Tears  of  chagrin,  rage,  disgust,  of  resentment 
against  himself.  How  dare  he  be  so  arrogant  when 
the  words  of  the  honest  old  man,  spoken  while  the 
hand  of  death  was  upon  him,  were  still  in  his  ears. 
Mediocrity  had  its  function,  its  reason  to  be.  Until 
he  had  grasped  that  elementary  truth  he  could 
never  emerge,  clad  in  valor  and  completeness,  upon 
that  high  platform  which  nature  had  designed  him 
to  occupy.  "  Cad  "  Northcote  had  been  the  name 
bestowed  upon  him  at  school  by  his  humbler  but 
honester  fellows :  the  same  term  of  opprobrium  had 
now  been  applied  to  him  in  a  more  public  man- 
ner. 

It  was  unworthy  that  he  should  ascribe  the  bitter 
antagonism  he  had  raised  against  himself  to  the 

301 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

eternal  feud  of  mediocrity  versus  genius.  That  fine 
gentleman,  the  old  judge,  was  incapable  of  bearing 
false  testimony.  Outface  it  as  he  might,  the  flaw 
was  in  himself.  It  had  been  there  from  the  begin- 
ning. The  genie  in  which  his  intellectual  pride  w^as 
centred  was  the  seat  of  the  canker.  Every  time  he 
employed  it  he  must  be  aware  of  his  fatal  gift.  It 
was  a  sinister  talisman,  or,  in  the  words  of  the  judge, 
a  two-edged  sword.  Better  a  thousand  times  not 
to  be  distinguished  from  the  mediocrity  he  was 
never  weary  of  despising,  than  to  be  at  the  mercy 
of  a  genius  that  would  compass  his  destruction. 

He  took  up  another  newspaper,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  an  article  entitled :  "  '  Bow-wow  ' 
Brudenell,  by  an  Old  Friend."  In  the  course  of  a 
column  of  appreciation  it  said :  "  Public  life  is  the 
poorer  to-day  by  a  memorable  figure.  Mr.  Justice 
Brudenell  had  achieved  an  odd  sort  of  fame.  It 
rested  upon  his  idiosyncrasies  upon  the  bench; 
upon  the  curious,  irascible,  barking  delivery  he  af- 
fected, which  earned  him  the  name  by  which  he  was 
always  spoken  of  in  the  circles  in  which  he  moved. 
In  the  judgment  of  his  profession  he  was  hardly 
considered  to  be  a  '  strong '  judge,  nor  was  he 
widely  popular;  yet  although  he  had  detractors, 
he  was  always  listened  to  with  respect.  His  queer 
little  tricks  of  manner  and  his  somewhat  formidable 
aspect  created  an  impression  in  the  public  mind 
which  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  wholly  in  his 
favor.  Yet  none  could  have  told  from  his  de- 
meanor on  the  bench  what  the  man  was  at  heart. 
It  would  require  the  pen  of  a  Charles  Lamb  to  limn 
him  in  his  quiddity.  To  his  private  friends  he  was 
a  perpetual  delight  and  stimulus;    he  stood  for  all 

302 


MEDIOCRITY   VERSUS   GENIUS 

that  was  worthiest  in  the  human  character.  He 
kept  a  too  fearful  conscience  ever  to  be  truly  emi- 
nent in  public  life,  but  no  kinder,  humbler,  humaner 
gentleman  ever  walked  the  earth  than  Joseph 
Brudenell. 

"It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  closing  days  of  this 
good  man's  life  were  darkened  by  tragedy.  The 
present  writer  was  sitting  with  him  in  the  smoking- 
room  of  a  club,  when  a  fellow  member,  an  occupant 
of  the  Episcopal  bench,  carried  over  to  him  the 
evening  paper  containing  the  confession  of  the  man 
Burcell  in  whose  stead  John  Davis  had  suffered  the 
extreme  penalty  a  few  days  before.  It  would  en- 
gage the  pen  of  a  dramatist  to  portray  the  self- 
righteousness  of  the  bishop  and  the  horror  and  be- 
wilderment of  the  judge.  *  It  has  overtaken  me  at 
last,'  said  the  old  judge,  covering  his  eyes  as  though 
he  had  been  poor  blind  CEdipus.  *  This  is  the 
shadow  that  has  darkened  my  life  during  twenty- 
five  years.' 

"  His  distress  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those 
who  witnessed  it.  From  that  hour  he  was  never 
the  same.  The  tragic  suddenness  of  his  end  was 
not  unforeseen  by  those  who  knew  him  best.  Yet 
to  the  last  he  was  the  same  gentle,  courteous  com- 
pound of  scholarship  and  refinement.  In  no  sense 
could  he  ever  have  been  looked  upon  as  brilliant. 
No  epigrams,  no  pregnant  sayings,  no  flashes  of  wit 
are  recorded  of  him;  upon  the  bench  he  was  too 
much  in  earnest  even  to  be  genial.  Every  cause 
that  came  before  him  appeared  to  engage  the  very 
blood  of  his  veins  and  the  whole  life  of  his  intel- 
lect. It  was  a  ruthless  kind  of  irony  that  fixed  upon 
such  shoulders  as  these  the  responsibility   for  as 

303 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

grave  a  miscarriage  as  ever  darkened  the  annals  of 
English  justice. 

"  In  his  private  life  he  had  known  great  sorrows. 
His  only  son  was  drowned  twenty  years  ago  while 
a  freshman  at  Oxford.  Had  he  lived,  he  was  des- 
tined for  that  profession  for  which  his  father  had 
so  profound  a  reverence.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  exquisite  than  Joseph  Brudeneirs  childlike  de- 
votion to  his  calling,  yet  he  was  always  haunted  by 
the  consciousness  that  the  ideals  he  had  set  up  were 
beyond  his  grasp.  This  son  was  to  have  been  the 
truer,  the  wiser,  the  stronger,  the  more  penetrating 
man;  yet  it  was  never  to  be.  The  accident  that 
deprived  him  of  this  enlarged  and  completer  edition 
of  himself  added  something  to  his  latter  years  that 
his  faithful  circle  of  old  friends  found  wistful  and 
affecting.  And  only  last  week  he  lost  the  devoted 
daughter  who  had  been  the  stay  of  his  declining 
years. 

'^  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  man  was  ever  called  to 
the  bar  who  was  more  honestly  beloved  by  all  who 
understood  the  secret  workings  of  his  mind  than 
was  Joseph  Brudenell.  Subtle  it  was  not,  it  was 
not  agile,  and  it  was  not  profound ;  indeed  the  pos- 
session of  that  simple  and  unsagacious  implement 
conferred  only  one  claim  to  preeminence.  It  is 
as  a  great  and  honest  gentleman  that  Joseph  Bru- 
denell will  be  called  to  the  Valhalla  of  his  gods. 
He  was  past  master  in  one  art  only :  the  art  which 
embraces  the  amenities  of  life.  Unsympathetic  crit- 
ics he  has  had  in  his  public  capacity.  He  has  been 
called  a  pedant,  a  weakling,  one  deficient  in  insight ; 
even  his  scholarship,  which  was  so  laboriously  hon- 
orable, has  not  escaped  inquiry;    but  the  void  left 

304 


MEDIOCRITY    VERSUS    GENIUS 

by  that  massive  and  ungainly  form  can  never  be 
filled.  In  this  time,  at  least,  his  like  will  not  be  seen. 
A  rare  jewel  has  been  resolved  to  its  element;  earth 
is  the  poorer  by  an  English  gentleman/' 

These  words  served  to  heighten  Northcote's  in- 
dignation against  himself.  The  stab  he  had  directed 
at  the  judge  increased  in  infamy.  Already  it 
seemed  as  if  he  had  paid  an  exorbitant  price  for 
his  success.  However,  in  the  midst  of  his  anguish 
and  perplexity,  he  heard  feet  on  his  staircase.  There 
came  a  knock  to  his  door.     It  was  the  solicitor. 

**  Well,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Whitcomb,  shaking 
his  hand  affectionately,  "  do  you  see  you  have  killed 
the  judge?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Northcote,  "  but  I  saved  the  life  of 
your  client." 


305 


XXXII 

MEDIOCRITY  ASPIRING  TO   VIRTUE 

The  advocate  handed  the  Age  to  the  solicitor. 

"  You  may  have  seen  it,"  he  said.  *'  I  am  hon- 
ored with  a  leading  article." 

"  I  have  read  it.  It  means  your  removal  from 
the  top  story  to  the  basement." 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  It  ensures  that  your  professional  emoluments 
will  not  be  less  than  two  thousand  a  year." 

'*  That  would  be  very  well  had  I  not  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  game  is  not  worth  the  can- 
dle.    The  penalties  are  too  great." 

"  Why  consider  them,  dear  boy  ?  Why  not  ac- 
cept the  gifts  of  the  gods  in  a  thankful  and  con- 
trite spirit?  " 

*'  You  would  have  me  drink  the  nectar  that  they 
offer  although  they  hand  it  in  a  poisoned  cup?  " 

*'  You  are  a  queer  fellow.  You  accept  starvation 
with  a  dignified  humility,  but  the  instant  you  touch 
success  —  and  such  a  success !  —  you  make  a  face." 

"  Such  a  success  —  there  you  have  it  all !  " 

"  My  dear  fellow,  whoever  in  this  world  got  of¥ 
the  mark  with  such  a  flying  start  ?  You  have  awoke 
this  morning  to  find  yourself  famous." 

"  Bah !    I  am  poisoned ;    I  have  got  my  death !  " 

*'  Within  five  years,  if  you  keep  your  head,  you 
will  be  making  a  princely  income." 

"  I  know  it." 

306 


MEDIOCRITY   ASPIRING   TO   VIRTUE 

"  And  two  days  ago  you  could  not  afford  to  pay 
for  a  fire  in  the  middle  of  winter." 

"  You  are  perfectly  right." 

"  Two  days  ago  you  could  not  fill  your  belly  when 
you  were  hungry." 

"  I  shall  never  taste  hunger  again  —  that  honest, 
bitter,  medicinal  hunger  that  merges  the  mind  in  the 
soul.  I  shall  never  taste  again  that  ascetic  clarity 
which  makes  the  heart  supple  and  arms  the  brain." 

"  You  talk  like  a  Methodist." 

"  My  father  was  a  country  preacher." 

"  I  expect  this  is  the  swing  of  the  pendulum. 
You  must  have  undergone  great  mental  excitement 
in  making  your  effort  —  and  what  an  effort  it  was ! 
And  now  the  clock  has  swung  right  back ;  you  are 
below  par:   you  have  got  the  blues." 

"I  hate  myself;    I  hate  my  cursed  profession." 

"  Yes,  the  mercury  has  fallen.  The  higher  the 
rise  the  greater  the  drop.  But  make  an  effort  to  be 
rational.     Look  at  this." 

The  solicitor  handed  the  advocate  a  brief.  It  was 
marked  with  a  retaining  fee  of  a  hundred  guineas. 

"  Two  days  ago  that  was  beyond  the  dreams  of 
your  avarice.  And  now  it  is  a  mere  forerunner  of 
the  beginning.  You  will  be  compelled  to  change 
your  quarters  and  keep  a  clerk." 

"  You  remind  me  of  the  devil  —  the  real  authen- 
tic mediaeval  Mephistopheles,"  said  Northcote,  with 
his  fingers  trembling  upon  the  tape.  "  You  are  in 
the  pay  of  the  genie,  you  smug-hearted  materialist." 

"  Ah,  the  genie  again !  I  am  afraid  to  confess 
that  that  genie  of  yours  gave  me  a  very  bad  quarter 
of  an  hour,"  cried  Mr.  Whitcomb,  laughing  heart- 
ily at  the  recollection.    ''  I  was  never  in  such  a  panic 

307 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

in  my  life.  Had  it  not  been  the  last  moment,  and 
had  it  not  been  impossible  to  get  any  one  else,  you 
would  never  have  held  that  brief.  You  and  your 
genie  frightened  me  to  death.  I  woke  up  in  a  cold 
sweat  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  wondering  what 
would  happen  if  you  brought  the  infernal  thing  into 
court." 

"  Well,  I  did  bring  it  into  court,  did  I  not?  " 

"  You  would  never  have  got  your  verdict  with- 
out it." 

"  Yet  you  were  afraid  ?  " 

"  That  was  before  I  knew  what  it  was.  But  as 
soon  as  you  got  up  to  talk  to  the  jury,  and  you 
could  have  heard  a  pin  drop  over  the  court,  I  gave 
in." 

"  That  is  true  enough,"  said  Northcote,  in  the 
hollow  tone  which  had  discomposed  the  solicitor 
at  the  restaurant,  "  but  once  having  summoned  this 
thing  to  my  aid,  once  having  taken  it  into  court 
with  me,  once,  as  you  might  say,  having  let  it  taste 
blood  in  the  arena,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  have  it 
with  me  every  time.  It  is  already  out  of  my  con- 
trol." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  you  and  for  those  who 
command  your  services.  This  genie  of  yours  will 
one  day  be  worth  thirty  thousand  a  year  in  cool 
coin  of  the  realm.  If  you  will  deign  to  take  the 
advice  of  one  who  is  perfectly  willing  to  be  a  father 
to  you,  I  say  to  you,  don't  overdo  it.  Employ  as 
many  devils  as  you  please,  —  five,  ten,  or  a  hundred 
and  ten,  —  but  don't  be  tempted  into  taking  enough 
work  to  break  down  your  nervous  system.  Keep 
that  intact  and  you  are  predestined  for  the  Wool- 
sack." 

308 


MEDIOCRITY    ASPIRING    TO    VIRTUE 

"I  feel  it;  and  yet,  do  you  know,  Whitcomb,  it 
hangs  in  the  balance  whether  I  ever  walk  into  court 
any  more." 

"  If  you  think  so,  it  is  little  you  know  of  your 
nature.  What  you  call  the  genie  will  have  the  last 
word  to  say  on  that  subject." 

"  Like  every  other  mud-colored  materialist  your 
intelligence  is  admirably  lucid  as  far  as  it  goes." 

"  Compliments  are  flying.  But  is  it  not  the  fac- 
ulty of  youth  to  despise  the  common  sense  to  which 
one  day  it  is  only  too  glad  to  return?  " 

"  I  would  spew  mediocrity  out  of  my  mouth," 
said  Northcote,  suddenly  overmastered  by  arro- 
gance. 

"  Common  sense  and  mediocrity  are  not  quite  the 
same;  but  you  can  take  it  from  me,  dear  boy,  that 
genius  has  always  to  learn  sooner  or  later  that 
mediocrity  has  its  uses." 

The  solicitor  was  amazed  to  see  tears  spring  to 
the  eyes  of  the  advocate. 

"  I  have  learnt  that  already,"  he  said  huskily ; 
"  I  learnt  it  last  night  after  the  rising  of  the 
court." 

"  I  presume  you  are  referring  to  poor  old  Bow- 
wow, the  type  of  all  mediocrity." 

"  Yes,  to  the  poor  dear  old  blunderer  who,  after 
the  manner  of  his  kind,  consecrated  his  life  to  a 
public  display  of  his  incapacity.  Yet  I  weep  for 
Adonais,  he  is  dead !  " 

"  I  say,  my  boy,"  said  the  solicitor,  amazed  by  the 
depth  of  emotion  that  was  revealed  in  the  face  of 
the  young  man,  "  you  did  not  suppose  for  one  mo- 
ment that  I  was  in  earnest  when  I  said  you  had 
killed  him?" 

309 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  You  struck  so  near  to  the  truth,"  said  the  young 
man,  "  that  you  made  me  bleed." 

"  Well,  this  is  a  consummate  kind  of  folly.  You 
must  feed  well;  build  yourself  up;  go  away  for 
Christmas;  take  a  rest.  Future  greatness  cannot 
be  allowed  to  play  ducks  and  drakes  with  its 
chances." 

''  I  swear  to  you,  Whitcomb,  the  weight  of  a 
feather  would  make  me  throw  up  the  bar." 

*' Impossible!  That  voice,  that  presence,  that 
imagination,  that  extraordinary  dynamic  quality  ^ — 
in  other  words,  your  genie,  leaves  you  no  choice." 

"  I  swear  to  you,  Whitcomb,  if  it  were  not  for 
my  countrified  old  mother,  who  has  worked  her  fin- 
gers to  the  bone  to  provide  an  education  for  me, 
I  would  never  go  into  court  any  more." 

"  Ah,  well,  I  shall  continue  to  send  you  briefs  all 
the  same.  I  cannot  recall  another  man  who  has 
got  a  start  such  as  yours,  and  I  shall  be  astounded 
if  through  a  whim  you  show  yourself  unworthy  of 
your  good  fortune.  Here  is  a  check  for  *  the 
monkey '  you  won  of  me  at  lunch  yesterday." 

"  Five  hundred  pounds !  I  don't  remember  any- 
thing of  the  circumstances." 

"  I  laid  five  hundred  to  fifty  against  your  getting 
a  verdict." 

"When?" 

"  At  lunch  yesterday." 

"  You  must  not  take  any  notice  of  that.  I  was 
very  excited.     I  am  afraid  I  was  not  myself." 

"  Why  afraid  ?    The  money  is  yours." 

"  I  don't  want  it;   I  won't  have  it." 

Mr.  Whitcomb  had  thrust  the  check  in  the  hands 
of  the  advocate,  who  tore  it  up  immediately. 

310 


MEDIOCRITY   ASPIRING    TO    VIRTUE 

"  Well,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  I  should  say  at  the 
present  time  you  have  undeniable  claims  to  be  con- 
sidered the  most  remarkable  man  in  London.  I 
can't  fathom  what  has  come  over  you." 

"  I  was  thrown  off  my  balance  a  little  yesterday," 
said  Northcote  hoarsely. 

"  Yesterday,  my  friend,  you  were  a  great  man ; 
to-day,  you  are  a  prig." 

"  You  are  right.  Yesterday,  a  great  man  stoop- 
ing to  foulness;  to-day,  a  mediocrity  aspiring  to 
virtue." 

"  Well,  my  dear  boy,"  said  the  solicitor  earnestly, 
"  my  last  words  are  these.  Be  guided  by  your  tal- 
ent. Greatness  is  written  all  over  you;  it  is  in 
your  eyes;  it  proceeds  out  of  your  mouth.  Play 
up  to  your  destiny,  like  a  wise  fellow,  and  leave 
hymns  and  sermons  and  disquisitions  upon  morality 
to  the  official  purveyors  of  those  condiments." 

"  You  are  the  devil !  " 

"  Well,  Faust,  dear  old  boy,  if  it  come  to  that, 
it  does  amuse  me  sometimes  to  think  that  I  have 
not  dabbled  in  human  nature  in  divers  forms  dur- 
ing the  last  twenty  years  without  getting  to  know 
a  little  about  it.  And  I  put  it  to  you,  do  you  sup- 
pose I  took  the  trouble  —  I,  one  of  the  most  saga- 
cious criminal  lawyers  in  London  —  to  climb  up  to 
this  attic  without  my  dinner  at  ten  o'clock  of  a 
December  night,  without  having  taken  your  size 
in  hats  and  your  chest  measurement  ?  " 

**  I  say,  you  are  the  devil." 

"  Your  estimate  is  too  liberal.  There  is  nothing 
of  his  Satanic  Majesty  about  me;  but,  all  the  same, 
I  am  always  perfectly  willing  to  employ  him.  I  am 
always  prepared  to  pay  him  liberally  to  fight  these 

3" 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

causes  of  mine,  wherever  and  whenever  he  is  to  be 
found.  What  you  call  the  genie  is,  after  all,  a 
euphemism  for  the  devil,  although  under  the  more 
chaste  patronymic  I  failed  at  first  to  recognize  that 
elderly  swaggerer." 

"  Well,  yes,  you  are  shrewd.  But  you  leave  a 
bad  taste  in  the  mouth." 

"  Everything  does  that  this  morning.  But  I  am 
not  surprised  that  you  are  feeling  cheap.  The 
human  frame  has  to  pay  for  such  colossal  efforts. 
In  the  meantime,  you  have  no  need  to  worry  about 
anything.  The  mercury  will  rise  again;  things 
will  all  come  right;  and  you  will  attain  an  emi- 
nence that  few  could  occupy.  In  the  meantime, 
divert  yourself  with  these,  and  mention  your  own 
time  for  the  consultation." 

Leaving  two  briefs,  one  of  which  was  marked 
with  the  sum  to  which  he  had  previously  referred, 
Mr.  Whitcomb  descended  the  stairs,  much  to  the 
relief  of  the  advocate. 


312 


XXXIII 

THE   HIGHWAY   OF   THE    MANY 

Success  had  spread  out  both  hands  to  North- 
cote,  but  the  emotion  she  had  aroused  in  him  was 
not  one  of  gratitude.  He  had  spent  many  days  of 
suffering,  of  mental  darkness,  during  the  years  of 
his  obscurity,  but  none  had  engulfed  him  in  such 
humiliation  as  this  upon  which  he  had  entered  now. 
He  had  tasted  coldness  and  hunger ;  he  had  known 
the  stings  of  rage  and  despair ;  but  these  sensations 
appeared  salutary  in  comparison  with  a  hopeless- 
ness such  as  this. 

How  could  he  cherish  an  illusion  in  the  matter, 
he  who  knew  so  much?  He  had  made  his  choice 
deliberately  under  the  spur  of  need;  he  had  fore- 
seen its  enormous  penalties;  he  had  foreseen  the 
degradation  that  was  implied  in  the  honors  and 
emoluments  that  would  accrue  from  its  exercise. 
Yet,  now  these  things  had  come  upon  him,  he  smote 
his  breast  and  lifted  up  his  voice  in  woe.  Less 
than  a  week  ago,  in  the  freedom  of  his  penury,  in 
the  license  of  his  failure,  he  had  had  the  power  to 
spurn  these  lures.  Yet  in  almost  the  next  breath 
he  had  yielded  to  the  call  of  his  ambition;  and  in 
his  first  walk  upon  the  perilous  path  he  had  elected 
to  choose,  he  had  shown  an  ease  and  lightness  of 
motion  that  were  audacious,  astonishing. 

What  was  there  to  deplore?  His  triumph  had 
been  so  patent  as  to  win  the  applause  of  the  world. 

3^3 


HENRY    NOETHCOTE 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  money  was  in  his  pocket. 
That  woman  of  courage  who  had  striven  so  hero- 
ically for  his  welfare  would  meet  with  her  reward. 
She  would  be  enabled  to  end  her  days  at  ease.  In 
those  somewhat  unilluminated  eyes  Money  had  al- 
ways seemed  to  divide  the  place  of  honor  with  Duty. 
She  would  go  to  her  grave,  this  upright  and  cour- 
ageous one,  with  a  paean  upon  her  lips,  because  her 
son,  her  one  talent,  had  in  her  old  age  been  increased 
to  her  tenfold.  Those  worn  hands  would  need  to 
toil  no  more. 

After  all,  this  success,  which  to  an  honest  nature 
was  so  embittering,  had  a  curious  virtue  of  its  own 
if  it  could  fulfil  such  an  of^ce.  And  it  was  hardly 
for  the  like  of  himself  to  be  troubled  with  these  in- 
timations. Morality,  like  other  privileges,  was  for 
those  who  could  afford  to  enjoy  it;  it  was  for  those 
who  had  a  snug  little  annuity  in  the  funds.  Those 
who  had  shivered  in  penury,  who  had  known  the 
look  of  want,  had  purchased  their  right  to  walk  un- 
fearingly  by  the  light  of  their  necessity.  And  he 
had  only  parted  with  his  dreams  after  all;  he  had 
only  transmuted  airy  nothings  into  explicit  gold  of 
the  state.  Let  the  visionary  who  nourished  his 
heart  upon  the  unattainable  despise  Croesus  as 
before,  but  let  the  well-fed  and  valiant  materialist 
render  due  homage  to  that  lusty  and  pagan  old 
fellow.  You  could  not  keep  your  cake  and  eat  it; 
you  could  not  resign  your  ideals  and  yet  hope  to 
inhabit  your  castle  in  Spain. 

It  always  came  back  to  the  question  of  the  Choice. 
Was  it  not  a  sign-post  that  headed  every  path;  did 
it  not  denote  the  convergence  and  the  parting  of 
every  road  ?    It  was  his  own  will  which  had  selected 

314 


THE    HIGHWAY   OF   THE   MANY 

the  broad  and  muddy  highway  of  the  many,  in- 
stead of  the  narrow  and  precipitous  mountain  ascent 
which  was  only  for  the  feet  of  the  few.  In  a  choice 
of  this  kind  there  might  be  an  affront  to  his  nature, 
but  once  having  embraced  it,  it  was  weakness  to 
repine.  He  must  shed  this  ferocious  arrogance  of 
his.  He  was  now  of  the  common  herd,  no  longer 
of  the  sacred  few. 

The  strangeness  of  his  position  held  his  thoughts 
all  day.  That  which  he  had  purchased  had  been 
obtained  at  a  cost  beyond  rubies ;  it  was  not  worth 
one-half  he  had  paid  for  it,  but  as  he  could  never 
recover  his  outlay  he  was  bound  to  go  on.  It  re- 
mained for  him  now  to  play  the  part  of  the  cynic 
and  philosopher.  It  was  not  the  highest  style  of 
the  hypersensitive  man  on  the  defensive,  but  the 
patchwork  target  would  have  to  serve  until  he  found 
the  cunning  to  provide  himself  with  a  more  efficient 
cover  for  his  wounds.  Yet  when  all  was  said  the 
shaft  had  sunk  to  a  cruel  depth  in  that  quivering 
nature.     Heart  and  mind  were  lacerated. 

At  the  table  at  the  aerated  breadshop  at  which 
he  took  his  lunch,  two  middle-aged  clerks  from  a 
city  counting-house,  musty,  cowed,  and  solemn  men, 
were  discussing  the  trial  wherein  the  morning  jour- 
nals with  their  unerring  instinct  had  discovered  the 
element  of  sensation. 

" so  she  got  off?" 

"  Yes,  they  brought  in  a  verdict  of  not  guilty. 
My  father-in-law  was  on  the  jury.  He  says  it  was 
her  lawyer's  speech  that  saved  her.  He  says  there 
wasn't  a  dry  eye  in  the  court,  and  the  poor  old 
judge  cried  just  Hke  a  child." 

"No!" 

315 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Yes !  He  says  he  never  heard  a  speech  like  that 
before  in  his  Hfe,  and  he  says  if  he  hves  to  be  a 
hundred  years  old  he  will  never  forget  it." 

*' Who  was  her  lawyer?  Sir  Somebody,  K.  C, 
M.  P.?" 

*'  My  father-in-law  says  not.  He  says  he  was 
quite  a  young  chap  without  any  reputation.  But 
such  a  voice  —  he  says  it  just  went  through  you 
and  made  you  shiver." 

''  Something  like  Irving?  " 

"  My  father-in-law  says  he  must  have  been  act- 
ing, yet  there  didn't  seem  to  be  a  bit  of  the  actor 
about  him.  That's  where  he  was  so  wonderful; 
struck  no  attitudes;  never  even  raised  his  voice. 
Every  word  seemed  to  come  straight  out  of  him,  as 
though  he  just  couldn't  help  it,  and  yet  at  first  all  the 
jury  thought  she  was  a  thorough  bad  one." 

"  So  she  was,  I  expect." 

"  I  dare  say ;  but  after  what  her  lawyer  had  said 
they  never  thought  of  bringing  in  a  verdict  of 
guilty.  My  father-in-law  says  he  was  a  wonder- 
fully read  young  fellow,  and  he  must  have  known 
the  Bible  almost  by  heart  from  the  way  in  which 
he  used  it  in  his  speech.  And  such  an  eye  as  he 
had  too !  My  father-in-law  says  it  looked  like  that 
of  an  eagle;  and  when  the  jury  retired  to  consider 
the  verdict  the  foreman,  who  had  got  a  weak  heart, 
had  to  have  brandy  or  he  would  have  fainted  dead 
away." 

"  It  was  very  strange  that  the  judge  should  have 
died  suddenly." 

"  Excitement  killed  him,  they  do  say." 

*'  You  would  think  that  a  judge  would  be  so  used 
to  that  sort  of  thing  that  it  wouldn't  afifect  him." 

316 


THE    HIGHWAY    OF    THE    MANY 

*'  Well,  my  father-in-law  has  been  many  times 
on  the  common  jury,  but  he  says  this  young  lawyer 
beat  all  he  had  ever  heard.  He  says  it  doesn't 
matter  how  clever  the  ordinary  lawyer  may  be,  you 
can  always  tell  when  he's  putting"  it  on.  But  this 
young  chap  was  so  quiet  and  solemn  that  he  simply 
made  you  shiver." 

*'  Just  a  trick." 

"  They  all  knew  that,  yet  he  made  them  so  that 
they  couldn't  help  their  feelings.  My  father-in-law 
says  as  soon  as  they  retired  to  the  jury-room  to 
find  their  verdict,  old  Bill  Oaks  —  you  know  the  old 
prize-fighter  what  keeps  the  Blue  Swan  at  Hackney 
—  who  was  on  the  jury,  he  just  spat  in  the  comer 
and  wiped  his  eyes  on  his  sleeve,  and  he  says, 
*  Well,  mateys,  I'd  reckon  we'd  'ang  no  more 
women.'  " 

"Bill  Oaks  said  that?" 

"  Those  were  his  words.  And  it  just  shows  the 
power  that  young  chap  must  have  had  to  make  a 
common  fellow  like  old  Bill  Oaks  say  a  thing  like 
that." 

"  Some  men  are  born  lucky.  With  a  mind  of  that 
sort  he  will  have  made  a  fortune  in  no  time.  In 
a  year  or  so  he  will  be  keeping  his  yacht  and  driving 
his  motor  car.  It  is  a  funny  world  when  you  come 
to  think  about  it.  Here  is  a  chap  like  me,  been  a 
clerk  in  the  Providential  for  thirty-five  years.  My 
hours  are  nine-thirty  till  five;  I  have  never  once 
been  late,  nor  had  a  day  off  for  illness;  and  my 
salary  per  week  is  thirty-eight  and  a  tizzey,  with  a 
pound  a  week  pension  at  sixty  provided  I  keep  up 
my  payments  to  the  fund.  I  have  never  done  a 
wrong  action  as  far  as  I  know;  I  go  to  church  once 

317. 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

on  Sunday;  I  teach  in  the  Sunday  school;  I  give  five 
shillings  to  the  poor  every  Christmas;  I  have 
brought  up  five  children  well  and  decently ;  I  always 
acted  the  part  of  the  gentleman  to  my  wife  while  she 
was  alive,  and  now  she  is  dead  I  always  keep  fresh 
flowers  on  her  grave  summer  and  winter;  I've  paid 
my  rates  and  taxes  regular;  the  landlord  has  never 
had  to  ask  me  twice  for  the  rent;  and  what's  it  all 
amount  to?  Why,  I  leave  off  just  where  I  began. 
Yet  I  consider  myself  a  cut  above  this  young  man, 
with  all  his  gifts,  who  will  make  a  fortune  by  saving 
murderers  from  the  gallows." 

The  speaker,  a  sallow,  stunted  little  fellow,  ut- 
tered his  words  in  a  quiet,  yet  dogged  staccato,  as 
though  he  were  issuing  a  challenge  which  he  knew 
could  not  be  taken  up.  His  sharp,  quaint  cockney 
speech  was  almost  musical  in  its  incisive  energy. 

''  Happiness  don't  depend  on  money,"  said  his 
friend. 

"  You  have  got  to  have  money,  though,  before 
you  can  believe  it." 

Northcote  overheard  this  conversation  while  he 
munched  a  sandwich.  It  afiforded  him  the  keenest 
interest.  He  moved  out  into  the  eager  crowd  which 
thronged  the  Strand.  Yet  again  his  old  passion  for 
perambulating  the  streets  came  upon  him.  There 
was  a  sense  of  adventure  in  dodging  the  traf^c  at 
a  breakneck  pace,  and  in  elbowing  his  way  through 
the  press.  Until  the  evening  he  wandered  about 
in  the  mud  and  the  December  mists.  He  was 
sick  and  weary;  the  conflict  within  him  gave  him 
no  rest;  yet  there  was  a  fierce  joy  to  be  gained  in 
mingling  with  the  virile,  many-sided  life  that  was 
about  him  everywhere. 

318 


THE    HIGHWAY    OF    THE    MANY 

Thoroughly  tired  out  at  last,  he  took  a  frugal 
dinner  at  a  restaurant,  and  accompanied  it  with  a 
bottle  of  inexpensive  wine.  He  lingered  over  his 
meal  and  made  an  attempt  to  read  an  evening  paper, 
but  found  he  could  not  do  so.  The  vortex  in  which 
his  nature  had  been  plunged  absorbed  the  whole  of 
his  thoughts. 


319 


XXXIV 

MAGDALENE   OR   DELILAH 

About  nine  he  returned  to  his  lodging-.  He  lit 
the  lamp,  drew  the  curtains  across  the  window,  and 
built  up  a  good  fire.  He  set  himself  to  do  three 
hours'  reading  before  he  turned  into  bed.  How- 
ever, that  power  of  will  it  was  his  wont  to  exert  to 
its  fullest  capacity  was  for  once  insubordinate. 
There  were  not  two  consecutive  sentences  upon  any 
of  the  pages  which  he  tried  that  displayed  a  mean- 
ing.    He  had  never  known  this  impotence  before. 

In  the  midst  of  these  futile  attempts  to  fix  his 
mind  on  the  task  before  it,  he  thought  he  heard  the 
creaking  of  the  stairs.  He  listened  acutely.  Late  as 
was  the  hour,  the  clerk  of  some  attorney  might  be 
bringing  him  more  briefs.  A  moment  later  his  door 
was  softly  tried  and  opened  as  softly  as  some  one 
entered  the  room. 

To  the  profound  astonishment  of  the  young  man 
he  saw  that  it  was  the  figure  of  a  woman.  She  was 
tall  and  pale  and  clad  sombrely  in  close  black  dra- 
peries. Her  entrance  was  somewhat  stealthy,  yet  it 
had  neither  reluctance  nor  timidity.  Unhesitatingly 
she  approached  the  chair  in  which  the  advocate  sat 
with  a  book  on  his  knee.  He  rose  to  greet  her  with 
an  air  of  bewilderment. 

"  I  knew  you  were  a  great  student,"  said  his 
visitor  in  a  low  voice,  letting  two  large  and  dark 
eyes  fall  upon  the  page  of  the  book. 

320 


MAGDALENE    OR    DELILAH 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Northcote,  "  I  am 
afraid  I  don't  know  you." 

"You  do  not  know  me?"  said  his  visitor  in  a 
tone  that  entered  his  blood.  "  I  will  give  you  a 
moment  to  think." 

Northcote  seemed  to  recoil  with  a  half-born  pang 
of  recollection  which  refused  to  take  shape. 

*'  I  have  not  the  faintest  knowledge  of  having 
met  you  before,"  he  said,  feeling  how  vain  was  the 
effort  to  fix  his  thought. 

**  Think,"  said  his  visitor. 

"  It  is  in  vain." 

"  I  should  not  have  expected  you  to  have  so  short 
a  memory,"  said  the  woman.  "  You  saw  me  yes- 
terday and  you  saw  me  the  day  before  that." 

"  I  do  not  recognize  you  at  all,"  said  Northcote 
faintly. 

"  Should  I  have  remembered  that  you  were  a 
busy  man  who  was  unable  to  spare  a  thought  outside 
of  his  profession  ?  " 

There  was  something  curiously  stealthy  in  the  fall 
of  the  voice  which  startled  the  advocate. 

"  That  is  a  voice  I  seem  to  recall,"  he  said,  with 
an  air  almost  of  distress. 

"  A  voice  you  seem  to  recall,"  said  his  visitor, 
with  a  sombre  laughter  which  made  his  heart  beat 
violently.  "  How  strange  it  is  that  you  should  re- 
call it !  You  only  heard  it  once,  and  that  was  in  the 
stifling  darkness  of  a  prison !  " 

Northcote  gave  a  cry  of  stupefaction. 

'*  Impossible,  impossible ! "  he  said  weakly. 
"  You  —  you  cannot  be  the  woman  Emma  Harri- 
son!" 

"  Emma  Murray,  alias  Warden,  alias  Harrison," 
321 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

said  his  visitor,  whose  tone  of  gentleness  was  now 
charged  with  deHberation. 

"  Then  how  and  why  do  you  dare  to  come  here?  " 
cried  Northcote. 

"  I  bring  you  my  thanks,"  she  said,  with  a  sudden 
consummate  transition  to  humihty.  *'  I  bring  the 
gratitude  of  an  outcast  to  him  who  has  deHvered 
her  from  a  deeper  shame  than  any  she  has  suf- 
fered." 

At  first  the  bewilderment  of  the  advocate  would 
not  yield;  the  revelation  of  the  last  creature  in  the 
world  he  looked  to  see  in  his  attic  had  seemed  to 
arrest  his  nature.  But  hardly  had  she  rendered  him 
her  homage  with  somewhat  of  the  sombre  dignity 
of  one  who  seeks  by  suffering  to  efface  her  stains, 
than  the  old  devouring  curiosity  of  two  evenings 
previously  returned  to  him.  In  the  prison  he  had 
not  seen  her  face;  in  the  dock  he  had  not  permitted 
his  eyes  once  to  stray  towards  her.  She  was  en- 
graved in  the  tablets  of  his  imagination  as  a  foul 
and  sordid  creature,  dead  to  feeling,  yet  susceptible 
of  the  loss  of  freedom,  horrified  by  the  too  definite 
thought  of  a  barbarous  doom;  yet  over  and  above 
everything  a  denizen  of  the  gutter,  wretched,  stupid, 
and  unclean.  It  was  amazing  to  see  her  stand  be- 
fore him  in  this  frank  guise. 

Peering  at  her  through  the  subdued  flames  of  the 
fire  and  the  lamp,  he  saw  that  she  had  contrived  to 
inhabit  her  stains  in  a  kind  of  chastity.  It  was  a 
trick  of  her  calling,  perhaps;  yet  if  trick  it  was,  it 
was  subtle,  consummate,  and  complete.  As  far  as 
his  eyes  could  pierce  the  texture  of  her  secrecy,  her 
face  was  that  of  a  woman  of  forty.  It  was  pale  and 
unembellished ;  the  cheeks  were  wan;  the  features, 

323 


MAGDALENE    OR    DELILAH 

but  slightly  defaced,  were  possessed  of  a  certain 
original  fineness  of  line,  like  the  handiwork  of  some 
little  known  craftsman  who  had  been  touched  by 
genius.  There  were  the  remains  of  a  not  inconsid- 
erable splendor  strewn  about  her,  particularly  in  her 
dark,  enfolding,  and  luminous  eyes.  Suffering  was 
everywhere  visible,  even  in  the  hair,  whose  natural 
sallow  hue  was  peeping  through  its  dye.  In  form 
she  was  large,  but  not  massive;  ample,  flowing  in 
contour,  with  the  powerful,  yet  graceful,  moulding 
of  a  panther. 

"Had  you  not  expected  something  different?" 
she  said,  standing  up  before  a  scrutiny  he  did  not 
disguise,  and  speaking  with  a  mournfulness  that 
seemed  to  challenge  him. 

'*  You  have  guessed  my  thoughts,'*  said  North- 
cote,  without  lowering  his  gaze. 

''  I  was  not  always  as  I  was,"  she  said,  letting 
each  syllable  fall  passionless.  *'  I  sank  deeply,  but 
I  am  risen  again.  I  am  praying  that  with  the  aid  of 
one  I  may  scale  the  heights.  I  even  hope  to  reach 
that  which  in  the  beginning  was  above  my  stat- 
ure." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  Northcote  muttered. 

"  That  is  cruel,"  said  his  visitor  with  a  shiver. 
**  Such  a  phrase  from  your  mouth  wounds  me  like  a 
sword." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  don't  understand,"  said  North- 
cote, almost  with  indifference. 

"  This  is  not  him  whom  I  came  to  see,"  said  the 
woman.  "  This  is  not  him  who  saved  my  base 
body;  him  who,  if  he  will,  may  redeem  my  whole 
nature." 

"  I  ?  "  cried  the  incredulous  young  advocate. 

323 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  You,  my  deliverer !  " 

"I  —  I  don't  think  I  like  you ;  I  think  you  had 
better  go  away/'  said  the  young  man,  with  a  brutal- 
ity of  which  he  was  unconscious. 

The  woman  replied  to  this  speech  by  sinking 
slowly  to  her  knees.  She  lifted  the  noble  line  of  her 
chin,  which  intense  suffering  had  seemed  to  refine, 
up  towards  him  with  an  ineffable  gesture  of  appeal. 
It  almost  vouchsafed  to  him  a  sense  of  his  own 
degradation. 

"  I  see  you  as  the  one  whose  noble  strength  will 
heal  me,"  she  said,  prostrating  herself  more  com- 
pletely, and  clasping  her  arms  about  his  ankles. 

"  Better  rise,  better  leave  me,"  said  Northcote, 
bewildered  by  a  sense  of  pity  for  his  own  impo- 
tence. 

"  You  are  striking  me  again,"  said  the  woman 
with  a  shudder  that  even  to  Northcote  seemed 
terrible,  "  but  every  blow  you  give  may  help  to  make 
me  whole." 

"  What  can  heal  a  murderess,  a  prostitute?  "  he 
asked,  with  a  candor  of  selection  that  was  intended 
to  lacerate. 

**  You.  You  who  brought  me  out  of  prison  — 
you  who  delivered  me  from  a  shame  to  which  even 
I  dared  not  yield." 

"  Get  up,"  said  Northcote,  filled  with  an  unac- 
countable pang.  "  Sit  there,  and  try  to  compose 
yourself  a  little." 

With  an  indescribable  impulse,  which  he  had  no 
means  of  fathoming,  he  raised  the  trembling,  shud- 
dering form  by  the  shoulders,  and  let  it  into  the 
chair  nearest  the  fire.  The  act  was  wholly  without 
premeditation,  but  there  was  nothing  in  it  that  par- 

324 


MAGDALENE    OR    DELILAH 

took  of  the  uncouth  harshness  of  his  voice.  A  few 
scalding  drops  crept  out  of  her  eyes  on  to  his  hands, 
and  when  he  Hfted  her  the  heat  of  her  body  com- 
municated itself  to  the  tips  of  his  fingers. 

"  Oh,  why  do  you  not  speak  to  me  with  the  voice 
with  which  you  terrified  my  judges?  "  she  moaned. 

"  I  cannot  make  up  my  mind  about  you,"  said 
Northcote  calmly.  *'  I  do  not  know  whether  you 
are  the  Magdalene,  or  whether  you  are  Delilah." 

"  When  you  pleaded  for  my  life  before  my  judges 
yesterday  in  the  court,  I  looked  upon  you  as  Jesus," 
said  the  woman,  pressing  the  tips  of  her  fingers 
against  the  balls  of  her  eyes. 

'*  At  that  hour  I  felt  myself  to  be  no  less.  And  I 
believe  there  were  those  among  my  hearers  who 
had  that  hallucination  too." 

"  Would  he  have  cut  me  into  pieces  when  I  crept 
to  him  for  sanctuary?  " 

The  young  man  pressed  his  hands  to  his  sides. 
An  ineffable  anguish  had  pierced  him. 

"  No  man  ever  felt  less  like  that  Nazarene  than 
do  I  this  day,"  he  cried,  with  a  face  that  was  trans- 
figured with  terror.  "  A  holocaust  has  taken  place 
in  my  nature.  I  know  that  I  shall  never  take  my 
stand  with  the  gods  any  more.  Henceforward  I 
am  filled  with  roughness,  brutality,  and  rage ;  I  hate 
myself,  I  hate  my  species." 

"  Wherefore,  O  my  prince !  " 

"  Am  I  not  fallen  deeper  than  her  I  redeemed 
from  her  last  ignominy?  Have  I  not  prostituted 
a  supreme  talent;  have  I  not  poisoned  the  wells  of 
truth?" 

"  Can  this  be  he  who  preached  the  Sermon  upon 
the  Mount?    Can  this  be  he  who  said  to  the  woman 

325 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

taken  in  adultery,  *  Daughter,  go  thy  ways,  and  sin 
no  more  '  ?  " 

Already  the  roughness  of  the  advocate  was 
melted  into  blood  and  tears.  His  callous  rage  had 
yielded  before  the  figure  of  the  Magdalene.  This 
nondescript  animal  he  had  picked  out  of  a  sewer  had 
proved  to  be  a  woman  who  had  bled  for  abasement, 
and  who  strove  for  reinstatement  by  bleeding  for  it 
again. 

"  I  have  a  curiosity  about  your  history,"  said 
Northcote,  with  a  gaze  that  devoured  her.  "  You 
see  you  are  pictured  in  my  imagination  as  the  den- 
izen of  a  slum." 

"  I  entered  upon  life,"  said  the  woman,  yielding 
to  the  domination  of  his  eyes,  "  as  the  eldest 
daughter  of  an  artist  whose  existence  was  a  misery. 
He  was  a  painter  of  masterpieces  that  no  one  would 
buy.  He  had  not  been  in  his  grave  a  year  when  they 
began  to  realize  sums  that  during  his  life  would 
have  appeared  to  him  as  fabulous.  His  two  girls, 
who  comprised  his  family,  never  got  the  benefit  of 
the  recognition  that  had  been  denied  to  their  maker  ; 
but  the  dealers  in  pictures,  who  had  begrudged  him 
so  much  as  oils  and  canvas,  grew  rich  by  trading 
upon  a  great  name. 

"  My  childhood  was  bitter,  cruel,  and  demoral- 
izing. Art  for  the  sake  of  art  was  the  doctrine 
of  my  poor  father,  and  in  pursuing  it  he  took  to 
drink.  That  honest  and  virtuous  world  which  I 
have  never  been  allowed  to  enter,  viewed  him  afar 
off  as  an  outcast,  as  an  idle  and  dissolute  vagabond, 
as  a  worthless  citizen,  whose  nature  was  reflected 
in  his  calling.  Perhaps  he  was  all  this;  perhaps 
he  was  more.     Yet  he  would  shut  himself  up  in  a 

326 


MAGDALENE    OR   DELILAH 

little  back  parlor  in  the  squalid  little  house  in  which 
we  lived,  and  there  he  would  work  in  a  frenzy  for 
days  together.  He  would  emerge  with  his  nerves 
in  rags,  his  skin  pale,  his  eyes  bloodshot,  his  linen 
foul,  his  clothes  and  person  in  disorder,  yet  under 
his  arm  was  a  new  masterpiece,  twelve  inches  by 
sixteen,  which  he  would  carry  round  to  a  dealer, 
who  would  bully  and  browbeat  him,  and  screw  him 
down  to  the  last  shilling,  which  he  already  owed 
for  the  rent.  He  would  return  home  worn  out  in 
mind  and  body  by  his  labors;  and  for  weeks  he 
was  unable  to  bear  the  sight  of  a  brush  or  a  skin 
of  paint.  It  was  then  he  would  seek  to  assuage 
his  morbid  irritation  with  the  aid  of  drink.  '  They 
will  place  a  tablet  over  this  hovel  when  I  am  dead,' 
he  would  say,  *  but  while  I  am  alive  the  rope  which 
is  needed  to  hang  me  outbuys  the  worth  of  this 
tattered  carcass.' 

"  My  poor  father,  rare  artist  as  he  was,  was 
right  in  this  estimate  of  himself.  As  a  man,  as  a 
father,  as  a  citizen,  I  cannot  find  a  word  to  say 
for  him.  He  never  brought  a  moment  of  happi- 
ness to  either  of  his  girls.  He  dwelt  in  a  world 
of  his  own;  a  beautiful  and  enchanted  world,  the 
Promised  Land  of  his  art.  He  was  a  man  of 
strange  ambition;  of  an  ambition  that  had  some- 
thing ferocious  in  it;  of  an  ambition  that  was  un- 
fitted to  cope  with  the  sordid  and  material  aims, 
by  whose  aid  persons  of  not  one-tenth  part  of  his 
quality  achieved  wealth,  respectability,  power,  and 
the  fame  of  the  passing  hour.  There  was  a  thread 
of  noble  austerity  in  my  poor  father's  genius,  which 
remained  in  it,  like  a  vein  of  gold  embedded  in 
the  mud  of  a  polluted  river,  throughout  the  whole 

327 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

time  of  his  degradation  and  his  ruin.  His  pride 
seemed  to  grow  more  scornful  with  each  year  that 
witnessed  more  completely  the  consummation  of  the 
darkening  and  overthrow  of  his  nature.  I  can  re- 
member his  saying  of  a  picture  by  the  president  of 
the  Academy,  *  I  would  rather  have  my  flesh  pecked 
by  daws  than  prostitute  myself  with  such  blas- 
phemies as  that ; '  and  at  that  time  he  stood  upon 
the  verge  of  the  grave  of  a  drunken  madman. 

"  I  have  said  he  was  not  a  good  citizen.  Nor 
was  he  a  good  father  to  his  girls.  He  did  not 
offer  them  physical  violence;  but  it  never  occurred 
to  him  to  shield  them  from  the  indignities  thrust 
upon  them  by  want  and  debt,  and  the  despair  which 
was  sown  in  their  hearts  by  the  foulness  of  every 
breath  they  drew.  It  would  need  my  father's  own 
gift  to  limn  the  picture  of  this  beautiful  talent  liv- 
ing its  appointed  life  in  its  own  way,  yet  indifferent 
to  the  most  elementary  duties  of  a  righteous  parent 
and  an  honest  citizen.  As  a  young  man  he  had 
been  handsome,  with  a  fine,  delicate,  even  an  entranc- 
ing beauty;  it  was  one  of  his  favorite  sayings  that 
the  face  of  every  true  artist  borrowed  something 
from  heaven.  I  can  only  recall  that  face  in  its 
latter  days,  when  it  was  that  of  a  petulant,  arro- 
gantly imperious,  yet  hideous  and  bloated  old 
creature,  whose  body  and  soul  had  been  under- 
mined; but  from  the  numerous  pictures  he  painted 
of  himself  in  his  youth  he  had  the  divine  look  of 
a  poet. 

"  I  have  always  considered  it  as  both  cruel  and 
ironical  of  nature  that  she  should  have  bestowed 
upon  the  daughters  of  this  drunkard  and  madman, 
a  little  of  his  own  originality  —  divinity,  that  taint 

328 


MAGDALENE   OR   DELILAH 

of  genius,  which  brought  him  to  the  gutter.  Look 
at  me  well,  my  deliverer,  and  you  will  see  what  I 
mean.  If  you  choose  you  may  read  my  dreadful 
secret  in  my  eyes;  in  the  shape  of  my  lips;  in  the 
expanse  of  my  nostril.  It  is  there  still,  although 
drink  and  the  gutter  have  defaced  its  bloom.  Look 
at  me,  I  say,  and  you  will  read  my  poor  father's  his- 
tory. You  will  see  in  my  face  that  ambition  for 
which  he  sought  an  anodyne  in  the  drinking  of 
drams.  Sometimes  when  he  grew  tired  of  paint- 
ing himself  he  would  have  me  to  sit  to  him,  and  he 
would  tell  me  I  was  amazingly  like  him  in  his 
youth.  He  would  also  take  my  younger  sister  as 
his  model,  but  she  did  not  interest  him  as  much 
as  I.  *  Polly  is  destined  for  middle  courses,'  he 
would  say.  *  She  is  neither  good  fowl,  fish,  nor 
flesh.  One  of  these  days  she  will  effect  a  com- 
promise, and  will  be  admitted  to  membership  of 
the  Great  Trades  Union.' 

"  *  As  for  thee,  thou  little  slattern  of  a  wench,' 
he  would  say,  running  his  fingers  through  my  hair, 
as  he  cuffed  me  affectionately,  '  I  am  afraid  to 
cast  thy  horoscope.  I  cannot  predict  what  will  be- 
come of  thee.  Such  a  face  as  thine,  thou  dirty  one, 
is  bom  to  a  dreadful  and  cynical  hatred  of  things 
as  they  are.  I  can  see  a  bitter  scorn  in  thee  for  those 
hare-hearted  rogues  who  run  the  show.  Like  thy 
illustrious  father  thou  wilt  live  to  be  a  thorn  in 
the  bowels  of  the  canaille.'  I  was  too  young  at 
that  time  to  understand  what  was  the  meaning  of 
my  illustrious  parent,  but  often  since,  as  I  have 
sunk  from  one  stratum  of  my  calling  to  another  — 
there  are  degrees  in  this  profession  of  mine  —  have 


329 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

I  recalled  his  words,  and  I  have  marvelled  at  his 
power  of  seeing  into  the  future. 

**  It  was  this  father  of  ours,  who  before  he  de- 
ferred to  the  hand  of  death,  launched  my  sister  and 
myself  upon  our  respective  careers  in  the  world. 
There  was  nothing  hypocritical  or  pharisaical  about 
this  painter  and  lyric  poet.  In  his  heart  he  never 
aspired  to  those  principles  which  he  denounced  with 
his  lips.  He  sent  our  beauty  to  market  as  soon;  as 
it  had  reached  the  age  of  puberty.  He  caused  us 
to  cease  the  scrubbing  of  floors,  lest  it  should 
roughen  our  hands.  We  were  turned  out  upon  the 
streets  with  rouge  on  our  cheeks;  for  it  seemed 
to  dawn  upon  him  all  at  once,  in  one  of  his  Titanic 
flashes  of  inspiration,  that  there  was  a  rational  way 
of  obtaining  money  to  buy  the  brandy  for  which  he 
craved  during  every  hour  of  the  day. 

"  After  my  father's  death,  my  younger  sister 
grew  into  a  charming,  accomplished,  and  beautiful 
'woman.  In  the  course  of  time  she  aspired  to  the 
prizes  of  her  trade.  For  several  years  she  lived  in 
refinement  and  luxury  with  a  judge  of  the  High 
Court;  and  upon  his  demise  was  able  to  claim  the 
interest  of  a  prosperous  and  clever  criminal  law- 
yer of  the  name  of  Whitcomb. 

'*  For  many  years  now  I  have  been  dead  to  my 
sister's  knowledge,  for  brutalized  and  sordid  as  I 
have  grown,  she  was  the  one  thing  in  the  world 
besides  myself  I  have  ever  been  able  to  pity.  Even 
when  I  descended  below  my  poor  father's  level,  I 
could  never  find  it  in  my  heart  to  '  queer  her  pitch  ' 
as  we  say  in  the  gutter.  She  grew  happy  and  pros- 
perous, and  forgot  her  childhood  and  all  the  sores 
that    festered    upon    her    name.      Long    ago    she 


MAGDALENE    OR    DELILAH 

achieved  the  beatitude  of  that  condition  of  mental 
and  moral  nullity  as  predicted  by  her  distinguished 
parent ;  while  I,  as  also  predicted  by  that  seer,  was 
destined  for  sterner  things. 

"  In  those  lucid  intervals  when  drugs  and  drams 
had  left  me  the  use  of  my  faculties,  I  sought  to 
appease  my  cynicism  by  preying  upon  society.  I 
cannot  reveal  to  you  the  cold  rage  I  nourished 
against  the  cosmogony  that  had  been  evolved  by 
I  know  not  how  many  generations  of  Pharisees. 
The  lode-star  of  my  father's  ambition  was  art  for 
the  sake  of  art;  that  of  her  he  had  nurtured  upon 
it  became  crime  for  the  sake  of  crime.  Not  that 
I  was  wanton  or  petty  in  the  workings  of  my  creed ; 
like  my  father,  I  had  usually  some  large  aim  in  view. 
Yet  again  like  my  father,  it  was  not  to  myself  that 
material  prosperity  accrued  from  the  exercise  of 
my  gift,  but  to  the  crimps  and  bullies  by  whom  I 
was  surrounded.  It  was  one  of  these,  a  base,  cold- 
blooded, brutal,  calculating  ruffian,  whom  so  treach- 
erously I  did  to  death. 

"  I  think  I  should  enact  that  crime  again ;  al- 
though when  my  guilt  was  fastened  upon  me,  and 
I  was  brought  into  prison,  my  fear  of  the  gallows 
was  terrible.  It  was  even  stronger  than  my  poor 
father's  dread  of  criticism  of  his  works.  And  yet 
as  I  lay  under  the  shadow  of  a  fate  that  I  did  not 
know  how  to  obtain  the  fortitude  to  accept,  I 
amused  myself  with  a  stroke  of  that  wantonness 
which  has  sometimes  delighted  my  associates,  and 
on  occasions  has  even  rendered  them  respectful.  I 
chose  Mr.  Whitcomb  to  undertake  my  defence. 
My  poverty  and  evil  repute  made  him  reluctant  to 
accept  the  office,  but  like  my  father,  I  retain  a  little 

331 


HENRY   NOETHCOTE 

of  the  artist's  power  of  seeing"  into  the  future.  In 
my  dreams  a  voice  whispered  to  me  that  he  alone 
could  ensure  my  safety.  And  to  my  importimity 
he  yielded.  He  yielded  to  that  importunity  which 
when  I  have  felt  called  upon  to  exert  it,  no  man 
has  ever  been  able  to  resist. 

"  What  a  sanctuary  did  this  prison  with  its  in- 
describable gloom  offer  to  me!  All  the  days  of 
my  life  had  been  cast  with  drunkards,  madmen, 
thieves,  panders,  and  prostitutes.  They  had  ren- 
dered the  very  breath  of  heaven  unclean.  From 
one  slum  to  another  slum,  from  one  gutter  to  an- 
other gutter  had  my  steps  been  traced.  Will  it 
astonish  you  that  what  after  all  was  a  powerful 
nature  had  founded  its  grand  passion  upon  an  ir- 
reconcilable hatred  of  its  kind  ?  Yet  I  was  brought 
into  prison,  and  for  the  first  time  I  tasted  the  breath 
of  the  living  God. 

"  It  was  the  horror  of  my  doom,  I  think,  giving 
to  a  life  that  had  never  had  any  finite  knowl- 
edge the  certainty  of  the  surgeon's  knife,  which 
had  the  power  to  touch  me  for  the  first  time  with 
the  instinct  of  beauty.  I  am  sure  I  know  not 
whether  such  was  the  case;  but  a  pall  was  lifted 
from  my  brain,  a  stealthy  drug  seemed  to  evap- 
orate out  of  my  pores.  There  were  times  when  I 
lay  behind  the  bars  of  this  prison  in  which  I  could 
have  cried  aloud  for  gladness.  The  open  sores  in 
my  nature  began  to  heal.  All  those  dark  mys- 
teries, that  had  pressed  me  down  like  a  curse,  were 
spread  out  before  me  luminous  with  meaning  at 
those  hours  when  the  dawn  stole  into  my  cell.  Ere 
long  I  would  lie  awake  all  night  to  watch  for  its 
appearance,   for  I  knew  that  every  time  it  came 

332 


MAGDALENE   OR   DELILAH 

to  me  I  should  g-ain  in  knowledge.  I  began  to 
understand  why  the  sun  was  warm,  why  the  birds 
sang,  why  the  rain  was  wet.  I  began  to  under- 
stand that  to  breathe,  to  move,  to  do,  to  think,  to 
say  *  yes '  and  *  no,'  to  wield  despotic  powers, 
to  do  battle  with  that  underworld,  that  reflex  ac- 
tion, to  which  I  had  always  been  so  ready  to  suc- 
cumb, were  all  acts  of  splendor  and  grace,  all  parts 
of  a  living  idea  that  was  a  noble  solution  of  my 
perplexity. 

"As  I  lay  behind  the  bars  of  my  prison  I 
dreamed  again  and  again  of  some  mighty  and  en- 
folding power  that  would  take  the  whole  of  my 
trembling  irresolution  in  its  arms  and  bend  me  into 
the  mould  of  its  all-powerful  will.  I  foresaw  that 
some  young  god  would  emerge  out  of  those  clouds 
about  heaven,  which  for  the  first  time  in  my  life 
my  enraptured  eyes  had  perceived,  that  he  would 
break  into  my  cell,  that  he  would  make  me  the 
bride  of  that  majestic  loveliness  which  had  caused 
my  sight  to  shed  its  first  tears. 

"  When  you  came  and  spoke  to  me  in  darkness 
in  the  prison  I  knew  who  you  were.  I  knew  that 
my  dreams  had  yielded  a  reality;  and  that  the  new 
birth  which  had  unfolded  itself  in  my  nature  had 
already  found  a  shape.  From  that  hour  of  our 
meeting  I  thought  no  longer  of  my  doom.  Now 
that  such  a  one  had  consented  to  plead  for  me 
I  knew  that  none  could  do  me  hurt.  Even  the 
dock  itself  was  powerless  to  touch  me  with  fear; 
although  until  you  rose  to  speak  I  could  neither 
hear  nor  see,  and  I  did  not  know  where  I  was. 
But  at  the  first  sound  of  your  voice  I  sat  entranced. 
I  forgot  that  my  wicked  and  degraded  life  was  in 

ZZZ 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

your  hands;  I  forgot  that  a  subject  so  foul  was 
the  source  of  your  beautiful  words.  I  had  never 
known  before  what  the  living-  voice  of  poetry  was 
like.  I  had  never  beheld  those  heights  to  which 
a  great  and  noble  nature  is  able  to  aspire. 

"  As  you  spoke  in  the  court  and  all  my  enemies 
hung  upon  your  words,  you  became  a  part  of  this 
miracle  which  had  happened  in  myself.  You  were 
the  breathing  embodiment  of  those  august  shapes 
which  emerged  in  all  their  order  and  beauty  from 
behind  the  dark  curtains  of  my  nature.  Hour  by 
hour,  as  I  listened  to  the  enchantments  of  your 
voice,  it  seemed  to  steal  over  me  that  you,  my  de- 
liverer, in  the  empire  of  your  youth  would  not  only 
free  me  out  of  prison,  but  also  you  would  deliver 
me  out  of  the  bondage  of  my  own  soul.  Such  a 
tumult  of  joy  came  upon  me  then  as  I  could  not 
believe  could  visit  any  human  creature.  The  music 
of  your  lips  was  not  only  the  earnest  of  my  dreams, 
it  was  the  consolation  of  my  stains." 

When  the  woman  had  finished  her  story  she 
rested  her  elbows  on  her  knees  and  her  chin  on  her 
hands.  Northcote,  who  had  followed  so  strange  a 
recital  with  an  interest  which  its  attendant  circum- 
stances even  rendered  intense,  felt  no  longer  able 
to  withhold  an  ample  meed  of  pity.  And  how  un- 
fathomable it  appeared  to  him  that  his  defence, 
which  had  been  inspired  at  a  time  when  all  was 
darkness  concerning  her,  should  yet  be  vindicated 
so  completely  by  the  facts  of  her  life.  Such  an 
intuition  was  an  uncanny  weapon.  Who  could 
wonder  that  this  buffeted,  arrested,  slowly  ma- 
turing, late-developing  creature  should  see  in  its 
transactions  the  revelation  of  a  supernatural  power  ? 

334 


MAGDALENE    OR    DELILAH 

She  was  base  and  foul,  yet  she  was  suffused  with 
the  inspiration  of  his  strength  —  with  a  strength 
that  had  been  used  in  ignorance,  with  a  sordid  end 
in  view.  She  must  indeed  engage  his  pity,  she 
who  had  prostrated  herself  before  a  chimera,  she 
the  thrice  unhappy  one  who  had  prostrated  herself 
before  an  idol  with  feet  of  clay. 

In  looking  at  her  now  she  had  lost  half  of  her 
strangeness,  half  of  her  mystery.  The  foulness 
and  ugliness  that  must  recently  have  been  stamped 
upon  her  was  now  effaced.  He  could  not  doubt 
that  since  she  had  been  brought  into  prison  her 
nature  had  been  sanctified  by  a  new  birth.  This 
squalid  criminal  whom  life  had  pressed  out  of  the 
ranks  had  actually  gained  eyes  to  see  and  ears  to 
hear.  Such  a  confession  was  not  a  charlatan's  trick ; 
this  enkindling  experience  of  the  divine  beauty  was 
a  true  renascence;  a  cleansing  of  a  fcetid  heart 
by  the  instinct  of  joy.  Faith  in  its  childlike 
naivete  had  appeared  by  some  miracle  amid  that 
expanse  of  corruption.  It  was  as  though  a  violet 
had  raised  its  head  in  a  sewer. 

Now  that  the  young  man  had  become  the  wit- 
ness of  the  phenomenon  that  he  himself  had 
wrought  he  was  abashed,  yet  also  he  was  sensible 
of  recompense.  Not  in  vain  had  he  suffered  those 
creative  pangs  by  which  so  strange  a  thing  was 
born.  Fame  and  money  were  the  only  guerdons 
he  had  sought  to  compensate  his  gifts  in  their  high- 
est walk;  yet  that  travail  of  the  mind,  that  ex- 
penditure of  spirit  were  to  receive  emolument  more 
fitting.  This  wanton,  with  her  crimes  and  her  sores 
upon  her,  whom  he  had  delivered  from  the  last 
indignity  her  fellows  could  devise,  would  issue  from 

335 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Gehenna  healed  and  purified  into  the  mellow  light 
of  the  afternoon. 

Northcote  had  suffered  extreme  misgiving 
throughout  that  day,  but  now  as  he  stood  to  gaze 
upon  her  who  was  undergoing  a  resurrection  by  the 
wand  of  his  genius,  he  felt  an  exquisite  joy  in  this 
special  and  peculiar  gift  that  heaven  had  vouch- 
safed to  him.  It  had  wrought  beyond  his  knowl- 
edge. This  genie  which  had  derided  and  tormented 
him  had  achieved  an  intrinsic  glory  in  allowing 
itself  to  be  called  to  the  highest,  the  most  disin- 
terested of  human  offices.  Here  was  the  apologia 
for  the  art  he  had  practised.  The  black  magic  in 
which  he  had  dealt,  the  shame  of  which  had  stricken 
him,  had  actually  wrought  a  divine  miracle.  In 
the  light  of  its  sanction  he  need  repine  no  more. 

''  It  is  truly  wonderful,"  the  woman  muttered 
softly  as  if  to  herself,  *'  to  live  forty  years  without 
knowledge  and  without  curiosity,  and  then  to  awake 
in  a  night  to  the  seas  of  color,  the  harmonies  of 
music  that  make  the  enchantments  of  the  life  we 
have  never  perceived." 

"  You  are  like  a  bird,"  said  the  young  man, 
"  who  has  been  born  in  a  cage,  yet  who  contrives 
at  last  to  break  through  its  bars.  It  flies  into  heaven, 
mounting  rapturously  into  the  void,  and  it  sees  the 
sun,  the  tops  of  the  trees,  the  green  fields,  the 
fleecy  clouds,  and  it  tastes  the  bright  air." 

"  Yes;  and  hears  for  the  first  time  the  free  and 
joyous  songs  of  its  kind." 

They  seemed  to  pause  to  look  upon  one  another 
with  violently  beating  hearts:  the  man  in  his 
strength,  in  his  insolent  domination;  the  woman 
in  her  weakness,  in  her  pitiful  need. 

33^ 


MAGDALENE   OR   DELILAH 

"  Strange,  is  it  not,"  said  the  young  advocate, 
speaking  aloud  his  thought  involuntarily,  *'  that 
I  should  not  be  acquainted  with  your  history  when 
I  made  my  appeal  ?  '' 

"  Would  it  have  been  made  had  you  known  all  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  said  Northcote,  with  a  fervor 
in  which  he  tried  to  rejoice;  "  your  baseness  is  now 
less  in  my  sight  than  it  then  was." 

The  fierceness  of  the  woman's  breathing  arrested 
her  speech. 

"  You  force  me  to  believe,"  she  cried  in  choking 
accents,  "  you  show  me  what  faith  is,  you  unfold 
the  meaning  of  affirmation.  Never  again  can  I  be 
nourished  by  denial.  You  are,  indeed,  the  Cloud- 
dweller  who  in  my  vision  I  saw  break  forth  out  of 
the  stars." 

The  sword  with  which  these  words  pierced  the 
advocate  was  too  sharp  for  his  fortitude.  His 
wounds  of  that  day  had  left  him  faint  and  spent 
with  the  blood  that  had  flowed  from  his  veins. 
He  grew  frail  and  numb. 

"  You  had  better  hear  the  truth,"  he  said,  gasp- 
ing. "  It  is  the  death-knell  of  us  both,  but  there 
is  a  limit  to  mortal  endurance.  I  would  have  you 
divorce  the  instrument  from  his  works.  Your 
Cloud-dweller  is  not  a  god,  but  even  as  yourself 
a  thing  of  dross  and  clay." 

"  I  deny  it,  I  deny  it,"  said  the  woman,  in  a 
voice  of  passion. 

The  man  seemed  to  cower  before  the  anguish  of 
her  eyes. 

"  You  owe  your  deliverance  to  an  unworthy  in- 
stinct which  rendered  me  invulnerable." 

"  Unworthy,  my  deliverer !  " 

337 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  A  thousand  times  unworthy,  poor  deluded  one. 
It  was  not  for  the  sake  of  the  abandoned  wretch 
who  was  presented  to  my  mind,  that  I  bought  her 
Hfe  and  freedom.  It  was  not  for  her,  it  was  not 
even  for  her  cause  that  I  spent  the  last  drop  of  my 
power." 

"  It  was  not,  then,  a  divine  magnanimity  that 
taught  you  to  forget  my  stains?  '* 

"  No." 

"  It  was  not  that  you  drew  your  sword  for  a 
marvellous  gospel  —  for  a  gospel  that  dazzled  the 
poor  outcast  in  the  dock  with  its  magnificence?  " 

"  No,  no." 

"  Then  why  did  your  voice  seem  to  wail  like  a 
flute?  Why  did  you  pluck  the  back  of  your  hands 
until  the  blood  flowed  from  them?  Why  did  you 
conclude  in  a  whisper  so  gentle  that  it  could  only 
be  heard  by  the  spirit?  " 

"  I  was  in  a  frenzy  of  avarice.  I  was  fighting 
for  myself." 

"  No,  no !  Your  words  were  inspired  from 
heaven." 

"  No,  no !  It  was  no  more  than  the  baleful 
power  of  the  earth.  I  was  fighting  for  a  roof  over 
my  head,  regular  meals,  a  reputation,  material 
needs." 

A  thrill  passed  through  the  eyes  of  the  woman. 
They  seemed  suddenly  to  be  blinded  by  a  thousand 
black  thoughts  she  had  half-forgotten.  She  sprang 
to  her  feet,  possessed  by  an  excitement  that  he  who 
had  made  his  pitiful  confession  was  afraid  to 
plumb.  She  placed  her  hands  on  his  shoulders  and 
peered  into  his  face;  and  he  did  not  shrink  from 
contact  with  her,  for  by  some  occult  power,  which 

338 


MAGDALENE   OR   DELILAH 

was  her  own  genie,  her  own  special  and  peculiar 
gift,  he  was  disarmed. 

"  You  have  the  voice,  the  bearing,  of  a  god," 
she  said,  quivering  with  terror,  "  but  your  speech 
belongs  to  the  underworld  whence  I  have  come. 
Persist  in  it  and  we  return  to  it  together,  walking 
hand  in  hand." 

The  advocate  strove  feebly  to  escape  from  the 
demonic  faculty  which  already  had  been  exerted 
upon  him.     She  resisted  him  mournfully. 

''  You  cannot  put  me  ofT,  my  deliverer.  Hence- 
forward your  ways  are  my  ways.  I  go  with  you 
to  the  bright  fields  of  your  native  kingdom,  or  I 
return  to  the  horrors  of  my  own.  I  beseech  you  to 
take  me  by  the  hand  and  lead  me  along  the  golden 
paths  to  those  mountain  fastnesses  in  which  you 
were  bom,  in  which  the  sun  shines  forever.  You 
know  how  I  have  been  dreaming  that  some  saint 
and  hero  would  lead  me  to  them;  you  must  make 
my  dreams  come  true  again,  my  deliverer,  as  you 
did  but  yesterday." 

"  Oh,  why  did  you  come  to  me?"  cried  North- 
cote  weakly,  as  he  strove  in  vain  to  free  himself  of 
the  yoke  that  was  already  on  his  neck. 

He  seemed  hardly  to  understand  that  he  had  to 
deal  with  a  desperate  gambler  who  was  staking  all 
upon  a  final  cast. 

'*  Do  not  let  me  perish,"  cried  the  woman.  "  Do 
not  say  this  is  an  illusion  upon  which  I  have  built 
my  miraculous  faith.  Do  not  tell  me  that  the  gods 
walk  the  earth  no  more !  " 

The  tragic  distension  of  her  countenance  filled 
the  young  man  with  horror,  yet  also  with  a  sense 
of  its  weird  poetry. 

339 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  You  must  not  hurl  me  back  into  the  abyss  out 
of  which  I  have  crawled  with  bare  life,"  she  cried, 
seizing  his  hands  with  an  astounding  passion. 
"  You  are  the  god  who  has  breathed  upon  the  poor 
outcast  who  knows  no  heaven  apart  from  your  no- 
bility;   you  cannot,  you  must  not,  reject  her." 

Again  the  wretched  creature  sank  down  upon 
her  knees  before  him. 


340 


XXXV 

DELILAH 

As  Northcote  gazed  upon  her,  despair  beat  him 
down  like  a  flail.  It  was  not  for  him,  man  of 
genius  as  he  was,  to  heal  this  outcast  with  his  touch. 
Only  a  perfect  chastity  could  do  that ;  and  this  was 
the  jewel  with  which  he  had  parted  two  days  be- 
fore to  save  her  from  the  gallows.  If  he  touched 
her  now,  it  would  be  as  the  inhabitant  of  her  own 
level.  She  cried  for  the  living  god,  yet  now  he 
was  become  a  counterfeit  of  arid  clay.  She  had 
asked  for  bread,  and  he  had  only  a  stone  to  yield. 

"  You  must  go,"  he  said,  and  the  words  seemed 
to  thicken  as  they  fell  from  his  throat.  "  You  must 
fly  from  me.    I  have  nothing  to  offer  you." 

The  woman  shuddered  and  clasped  him  by  the 
ankles,  but  otherwise  made  no  sign  that  she  had 
heard. 

''  My  power  is  gone,"  he  said.  "  I  am  no  longer 
the  strong  and  valiant  one,  but  the  poor  outcast 
even  as  are  you.  Two  days  ago  I  flung  my  birth- 
right away." 

"  Will  you  send  me  back  to  the  charnel-house?  " 
said  the  woman  with  a  low  moan. 

Northcote  drew  up  his  body  rigidly,  erectly. 

**  I  have  no  choice,"  were  the  words  that  were 
forced  from  between  his  lips. 

Vein  by  vein  the  creature  before  him  was  invaded 
by  death.    She  crouched  lower  and  lower  upon  the 

341 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

ground  until  she  was  no  more  than  a  shapeless  and 
ignominious  mass  on  the  bare  boards  in  front  of 
the  fire.  Every  line  of  her  body  was  merged  and 
outspread  into  something  amorphous,  without  form. 
Her  helplessness  was  too  complete  to  arouse  pity. 
Such  a  flaccidity  was  greater  than  that  of  an  in- 
fant, whose  frame  is  too  puny  even  to  allow  it  to 
crawl. 

Northcote  had  no  disgust.  He  had  too  sharp  a 
sense  of  horror  that  the  power  should  be  denied  to 
him  to  succor  such  an  invertebrate  thing.  Pres- 
ently, by  an  effort  which  seemed  to  shatter  her  flesh, 
the  creature  was  able  to  move.  She  rose  from  her 
knees,  issuing  from  the  state  of  coma  with  all  the 
heavy  and  desperate  pangs  of  one  who  attempts 
to  throw  off  the  fumes  of  a  deadly  venom.  She 
rubbed  her  eyes  with  the  back  of  her  hands,  and 
folded  her  arms  in  front  of  her. 

"  If  you  could  have  touched  me  once  with  the  hem 
of  your  garment  you  would  have  healed  me.  As 
it  is,  I  walk  back  with  my  wounds  into  the  world." 

A  singular  change  had  occurred  in  the  voice  of 
the  suppliant.  It  was  far  other  than  that  which 
had  clothed  the  language  of  entreaty  which  had 
previously  fallen  from  her  lips.  In  the  ear  of  North- 
cote the  change  wrought  relief.  Yet  even  as  he 
imbibed  this  clear,  this  definite,  this  pungent  tone 
with  the  eagerness  of  one  who  presses  cold  water 
to  his  throat  at  a  time  when  the  pangs  of  his  thirst 
have  become  insupportable,  a  rapid  and  bewildering 
transformation  took  place  in  her  who  confronted 
him.  She  who  a  minute  ago  had  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  nebula,  suddenly  broke  out  all  over 
into  light  like  a  star.     Out  of  the  sprawling  shape- 

342 


DELILAH 

lessness  there  was  seen  to  issue  something  as 
strong,  graceful,  and  agile  as  a  leopard.  The  hue 
of  her  skin  became  luminous  as  though  a  fire  had 
been  kindled  beneath  it;  and  her  eyes,  which  so 
lately  had  been  dull  and  without  nascency,  shot  forth 
a  lustre  that  added  light  to  the  room. 

There  was  nothing  baleful  or  malevolent  in  an 
apparition  so  profoundly  wonderful.  In  standing 
aside  to  witness  the  evolutions  of  any  force,  in  the 
act  of  obeying  the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed, 
however  inimical  its  operations  may  be  to  our  per- 
sonal safety,  the  feeling  of  repulsion  bears  no  part. 
The  spring  of  the  tiger,  the  long  white  teeth  of  the 
wolf,  the  pinions  of  the  eagle,  the  motions  of  the 
serpent,  are  in  themselves  beautiful,  for  in  them 
are  manifested  the  free  and  unconquerable  expres- 
sion of  that  force  which  nature  has  taken  for  its 
highest  gospel.  The  wide  and  curving  nostrils  of 
the  prostitute  were  the  mansion  of  a  subtle  but 
brutally  dominating  power. 

For  the  moment,  however,  Northcote  was  only 
aware  that  a  splendid,  supple,  and  entrancing  thing 
had  stolen  unperceived,  like  a  beast  of  prey,  into 
the  room.  The  strong,  fine,  and  beautiful  line  that 
had  been  traced  along  the  convergence  of  the  thin 
but  full  lips  addressed  him  like  an  unexpected  but 
supreme  artifice  of  a  great  painter,  who  has  learned 
to  use  his  pigments  with  effrontery. 

As  a  revelation  of  power  she  was  more  than  his 
equal ;  she  challenged  him  with  eyes  whose  insolent 
domination  exceeded  his  own.  Furtively,  yet 
boldly,  she  had  discarded  her  stealthiness ;  she  had 
already  the  strength  that  disdains  a  mesh.  She 
looked  upon  him  now  with  the  same  hidden  but 

343 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

imperious  scornfulness  with  which  he  had  looked 
upon  the  judge,  the  jury,  and  the  bar  under  the  ex- 
citement his  speech  on  her  behalf  had  generated. 
Strong,  subtle,  and  secure  as  he  had  been  in  the 
exercise  of  his  specific  and  audacious  talent,  this 
siren  was  equally  so  in  hers.  He  had  delivered  a 
great  prostitute  from  the  gallows  in  order  that  she 
might  lead  him  to  it. 

*'  I  came  here  with  no  thought  of  destroying  you,'* 
she  said. 

With  perfect  composure  she  proceeded  to  divest 
herself  of  her  hat  and  coat,  and  carried  them  con- 
fidently behind  the  curtain,  as  though  already  she 
were  perfect  mistress  of  his  house.  When  she  re- 
turned she  seated  herself  in  the  chair  against  the 
fire. 

Northcote  had  not  protest  to  raise.  He  could  not 
meet  the  challenge  in  the  eyes  of  Medusa.  In  their 
baleful  lustre  he  had  read  the  abrupt  limit  to  his 
own  imperious  will,  he  beheld  as  through  a  mirage 
the  prefiguration  of  his  own  doom.  Even  as  he 
had  conquered  others  by  the  fearlessness  of  his  own 
quality,  he  had  himself  been  conquered  by  the  fear- 
lessness of  hers.  He  was  no  common  advocate, 
but  this  was  no  common  harlot.  Prayer  and  de- 
votion alone  could  have  saved  him  from  toils  such 
as  these;  but  of  prayer  and  devotion  he  no  longer 
commanded  the  use.  There  was  a  fissure  in  his 
armor;  and  through  that  aperture,  small  as  it  was, 
the  deadly,  unnamable  thing  that  had  crawled  into 
his  room  had  been  able  to  plant  its  look. 

''  I  am  trying  to  think,"  said  his  visitor,  as  she 
reclined  in  the  chair  with  her  elbows  outspread  and 
her  hands  clasped  behind  her  hair,  which  was  pro- 

344 


DELILAH 

fuse  and  ordered  with  rare  precision,  "  I  am  trying 
to  think  what  it  is  about  you  that  has  caused  me  to 
love  you.  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  your  voice  alto- 
gether, for  although  when  it  chooses  it  can  sound  so 
low  and  delicious,  it  can  also  sound  harsh  and  rude. 
No,  my  noble  warrior,  I  think  there  is  a  deeper 
cause.  Is  it  not  that  our  natures  are  alike?  Are 
they  not  so  similar?  We  are  not  of  the  common 
herd.  We  can  think,  we  can  feel,  we  have  a  little 
knowledge,  and  do  we  not  possess  enormous  powers 
of  resentment?  Life  has  not  been  very  gentle 
with  you  and  me,  but  we  will  not  complain  about 
it  much.  Can  we  not  quietly  choose  our  own 
weapons  and  go  our  own  way  to  work  in  order 
that  we  may  avenge  ourselves?  It  is  for  your 
strength  and  spirit  that  I  love  you.  Give  me  a 
kiss." 

Northcote  obeyed. 

She  caressed  his  hands  with  an  extreme  tender- 
ness. 

"  How  strong,  square,  massive,  and  beautifully 
ugly  they  are!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  am  sure  you 
could  fell  a  bullock  if  you  doubled  your  fist.  I  love 
you  even  for  these.  I  would  rather  be  strangled 
by  strong  hands  than  I  would  be  fondled  by  weak 
ones.  If  you  cared  to  drive  your  fist  into  the 
world,  you  could  knock  a  hole  in  it  and  let  out  a 
few  of  its  wrongs.  How  tall  and  young  and  splen- 
did you  look.    And  strength  means  bravery." 

Her  words,  the  careless  complacency  which  ac- 
companied them,  the  ease  of  her  posture  with  her 
head  thrown  far  back  in  the  chair  and  her  eyes 
directed  steadfastly  to  Northcote's  face,  filled  him 
with   a  cruel   sensation   of   pleasure.      Knowledge 

345 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

translated  into  the  grace  of  physical  perfection  had 
an  all-conquering  attraction  for  his  nature.  Every 
blemish  upon  her,  and  as  she  lay  back  in  the  shadow 
of  the  lamp  they  appeared  surprisingly  few,  were 
additions  to  her  value.  They  were  so  many  re- 
ceipted acknowledgments  of  the  heavy  sums  she 
had  paid  for  what  she  possessed.  There  was  a 
short  but  deep  scar  over  one  eye.  There  was  a 
suggestion  of  coarseness  in  her  jaw ;  her  bust  looked 
a  little  too  full. 

**  What  shall  I  call  you?"  said  the  young  ad- 
vocate with  shining  eyes.  "  Shall  I  call  you 
Diomeda?  " 

"  Do,  my  beloved  Achilles ! '' 

"  How  do  you  come  to  have  heard  about  him? 
Is  it  that  Greek  is  compulsory  in  the  University 
of  the  Gutter?" 

"  Achilles  was  perfectly  familiar  to  me  before 
I  attended  it.  My  dear  father  used  to  tell  us  stories 
from  Homer  when  he  was  drunk." 

"  Well,  Diomeda,  I  have  come  to  believe  that 
your  father  must  have  been  a  very  remarkable 
man." 

"  The  world  will  arrive  at  a  similar  belief  two 
hundred  years  hence.  But  how  can  you  have 
acquired  such  an  important  piece  of  information 
concerning  him  when  you  have  never  seen  one  of 
his  works  ?  " 

"  Do  not  forget  that  for  the  past  hour  I  have 
been  gazing  upon  his  chef-d'oeuvre,  the  masterpiece 
among  his  masterpieces." 

"  On  the  contrary,  my  beloved,  you  are  judging 
him  by  his  one  great  failure.  In  conception,  in 
design,  I  have  no  peer  in  this  time  of  ours,  but  the 

346 


DELILAH 

inspiration  of  the  artist  failed  suddenly  and  lament- 
ably before  he  could  touch  me  with  the  magic  that 
would  have  rendered  me  immortal.  I  am  a  splendid 
thing,  my  beloved,  but  I  shall  perish.  Therefore 
the  artist  has  failed." 

"  This  is  a  masculine  intellect  of  yours,"  said 
Northcote,  who  was  captivated  by  the  celerity  with 
which  she  had  interpreted  an  idea  that  in  his  own 
mind  had  still  the  nebulosity  of  recent  birth.  "  Is 
it  usual  to  your  sex  to  have  such  powers  ?  " 

"  You  will  confess  that  you  would  not  say  so  ? 
Are  they  not  eternally  dunces  and  fools  in  the 
austere  eyes  of  the  male  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  I  make  that  confession  if  you  insist 
upon  the  measure  of  my  ignorance." 

"  Say  rather,  my  hero,  the  measure  of  your  in- 
experience. You  see  you  have  only  studied  those 
of  my  sex  who  are  affiliated  to  the  Great  Trades' 
Union.  They  take  eternal  vows  of  foolishness  and 
duncishness  before  they  are  admitted  to  member- 
ship of  that  sanctified  order.  But  with  us  black- 
legs it  is  different.  We  are  allowed  to  know  every- 
thing. You  may  not  know  that  in  our  University 
of  the  Gutter  we  have  the  most  learned  staff  of 
professors  in  the  world.  There  is  a  chair  for  every- 
thing." 

"  Except  for  honesty.  If  there  was  a  chair  for 
that,  would  there  not  at  once  be  an  end  to  your 
intellectual  subtlety?" 

"  You  do  not  know  the  great  university  to  which 
I  have  the  honor  to  belong  if  you  think  intellectual 
dishonesty  is  tolerated  among  us.  The  moment 
we  become  intellectually  dishonest  we  have  done  for- 
ever with  Alma  Mater.     She  sends  us  down  im- 

347 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

mediately,  and  there  is  nothing  for  us  then  but  the 
river  or  the  Great  Trades'  Union." 

"  That  is  what  the  world  would  call  being-  *  sent 
up.'  Yet  if  the  simplest  terms  were  not  subject  to 
totally  different  meanings  in  the  varying  strata 
of  our  society,  we  should  not  have  so  many  of 
these  pretty  paradoxes  to  subsist  upon.  But  I  feel, 
Diomeda,  that  I  am  entitled  to  ask  you  one  ques- 
tion. Was  it  in  my  capacity  as  a  mentally  dishonest 
person  that  you  came  to  me  to-night  to  ask  me  to 
arrange  for  you  to  be  *  sent  down '  from  your 
university?  " 

*'  Answer  that  question  to  your  own  liking,  be- 
loved one.  It  was  your  appeal  on  my  behalf  that 
brought  me  here  to-night.  Would  you  have  me  ask 
whether  you  were  mentally  honest  when  you  made 
it?" 

Her  laugh  had  an  edge  that  cut  him  like  a  keen 
blade.  But  she  was  quick  to  read  the  sharp  thrill 
of  pain  that  made  his  eyes  grow  dark. 

*'  Do  not  repine,  my  beloved  Achilles,"  she  said 
with  a  softness  that  had  the  power  to  caress,  *'  I 
found  you  after  all  to  be  as  honest  as  I  am  my- 
self." 

"  At  least,"  said  the  young  man,  sensible  that 
even  her  lightest  caresses  possessed  the  ferocity  of 
those  of  the  snake  and  the  tiger,  "  you  are  the  first 
of  your  sex  with  whom  I  have  conversed  who  ap- 
pears to  understand  the  uses  of  paradox." 

"  There  is  no  other  means  by  which  the  honest 
mind  can  carry  on  its  thinking." 

"If  that  is  the  case,  you  conduct  the  thinker  to 
his  doom  with  atrocious  certainty.  You  conduct 
him  to  the  gutter." 

348 


DELILAH 

"  That  is  true,  O  Achilles,"  said  the  woman  with 
a  quiet  laugh. 

"  In  other  words,"  pursued  Northcote,  "  he  dem- 
onstrates in  his  own  person  the  impossibility  of  a 
reconciliation  in  any  terms  whatever  between  the 
ideal  world  of  the  spirit  and  the  material  world  of 
the  flesh." 

"  Why  trouble  to  put  it  into  so  many  words,  dear 
lad?  Briefly,  I  am  the  child  of  the  poor  drunken 
man  of  genius,  my  father;  and  I  suspect  that  you 
had  a  poor  drunken  man  of  genius  for  your  father 
also." 

"  I  would  have  you  to  know  that  my  father  was 
ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England." 

"  How  old  was  he  when  he  died  ?  " 

"  About  thirty." 

"  Did  it  never  occur  to  you  that  the  poor  fellow 
killed  himself  in  the  struggle  to  become  an  honest 
man?" 

"  These  eyes  of  yours  are  dreadfully  piercing. 
I  remember  my  mother  saying  of  him  that  the  clock 
of  his  intellect  was  always  set  a  little  too  fast." 

"She  never  informed  you  by  any  chance,  dear 
lad,  that  if  he  had  not  taken  an  overdose  of  opium 
he  would  have  died  a  lunatic  ?  " 

"  Or  that  he  killed  himself  with  drinking  brandy 
after  the  manner  of  your  own  illustrious  parent. 
By  the  way,  you  have  yet  to  give  me  a  description 
of  your  mother.    Can  you  recall  her?  " 

"  She  died,  worn  out,  I  believe,  by  slavery  when 
I  was  about  four  years  old.  She  reminded  me  of 
a  cow ;  her  eyes  were  so  placid  and  her  movements 
were  so  slow.  But  she  had  been  affiliated  to  the 
Trades'  Union  from  her  earliest  days.     I  believe 

349 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

she  was  a  life  member  with  her  poHcy  or  whatever 
they  call  it  —  I  have  no  first-hand  knowledge  — 
fully  paid  up.  She  was  buried  in  consecrated 
ground  in  Kensal  Green  cemetery  with  wreaths  on 
her  coffin  in  consequence.  Non-members  of  the 
Union  are  mostly  buried  in  a  prison  or  in  the 
Thames.  And  now  about  your  mother,  the  clergy- 
man's widow?  She,  I  presume,  would  be  a  vice- 
president  of  the  Union,  or  on  its  committee,  or  one 
of  its  trustees,  or  she  might  even  aspire  to  be  one 
of  its  honorary  secretaries?  Her  social  rank  would 
render  it  necessary." 

*'  Yes,  dear  old  woman,"  said  Northcote  softly. 
''  She  is  on  the  committee  right  enough.  As  you 
say,  her  social  rank  has  rendered  it  necessary." 


.^50 


XXXVI 

THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

On  the  following  morning-  Northcote  was  late 
for  breakfast.  When  the  old  charwoman  shook  his 
curtains  at  a  quarter  to  eight,  a  sleepy  voice  mur- 
mured :  "  I  may  be  a  bit  late.  I  will  cook  the  bacon 
myself  and  make  the  tea.  Lay  a  knife  and  fork 
for  two  and  don't  stay." 

It  was  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  by  the  time 
he  had  completed  his  toilet.  And  it  befell  that  at 
that  hour  the  kettle  was  singing  on  the  fire,  and  he 
himself  was  kneeling  before  it,  toasting  pieces  of 
bacon  upon  a  fork,  when  there  came  a  knock  on 
the  door  of  his  room. 

"  Come  in,"  he  called  cheerfully. 

He  expected  to  see  an  attorney's  clerk  with 
further  business  for  his  attention. 

Instead,  two  persons  entered  whose  appearance 
caused  him  to  drop  the  fork  and  the  bacon  among 
the  ashes. 

A  moment  ensued  in  which  he  had  to  fight  with 
all  his  resolution  to  regain  his  self-possession.  The 
first  to  enter  the  room  was  his  mother,  and  imme- 
diately behind  her  was  the  young  girl  whom  he  was 
under  a  pledge  to  marry. 

Mrs.  Northcote  was  a  tall,  strong  woman,  past 
fifty,  with  assured  movements  and  a  resolute-look- 
ing face.  It  was  large  and  rather  square.  Her 
cheeks  were  red  with  country  life;    her  hair  had 

351 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

streaks  of  white  in  it;  her  eyes  were  bluish  gray. 
Her  clothes,  severe  in  outline,  fitted  close  to  her 
broad  and  powerful  frame.  They  helped  to  sus- 
tain a  somewhat  rural  appearance,  which  was  not 
altogether  unprepossessing  and  had  a  sort  of  edu- 
cation in  it.  Her  speech  was  decisive,  while  the 
voice  was  somewhat  harsh,  and  left  an  impression 
that  it  would  be  easy  for  it  to  domineer. 

The  young  girl  who  accompanied  her  was  not 
moulded  in  these  Amazonian  lines.  She  was 
straight  and  slender,  only  a  little  above  the  medium 
height,  neat  of  hand,  delicate  of  foot.  Her  com- 
plexion could  only  have  been  produced  by  genera- 
tions of  country  air.  It  was  perfectly  clear,  and  of 
an  exquisite  tawny  pinkish  whiteness.  Her  eyes 
were  large,  soft,  and  long-lashed,  and  although  as 
clear  and  bright  as  a  pair  of  crystals,  as  meaning- 
less as  those  of  a  dumb  animal.  Her  simple  straw 
hat  and  thick  gray  coat  and  skirt  were  in  themselves 
innocent  of  coquetry,  but  their  inhabitant  was  in 
her  kind  a  sweetly  beautiful  thing  —  half-child  and 
half-woman  —  therefore  these  articles,  rough  and 
primitive  as  they  were,  had  significance  in  every 
crease  and  fold. 

The  moment  Northcote  had  managed  to  strangle 
the  first  pangs  of  his  stupefaction,  he  rose  from  his 
knees  and  ran  forward  to  greet  them.  He  kissed 
his  mother  on  both  cheeks,  and  seized  both  of  the 
young  girl's  hands  in  his  own. 

"  I  could  not  believe  my  own  eyes,"  were  the 
first  words  he  spoke  to  his  mother.  "  You  should 
have  given  me  warning  that  you  were  coming  up 
to  London,  my  dearest.  It  is  the  merest  chance 
you  have  caught  me  at  home." 

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THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

"  It  was  not  until  last  evening  that  we  decided 
to  come,"  said  Mrs.  Northcote.  *'  Margaret  had 
happened  to  see  the  advertisement  of  an  excursion, 
only  eight  shillings  here  and  back." 

"  Why  not  telegraph,  my  dear?  "  Northcote  ex- 
postulated gently.  "  I  would  then  have  met  you  at 
St.  Pancras." 

"  It  would  have  cost  sixpence,"  said  his  mother. 
"  Besides  it  was  too  late  last  night." 

"  Always  the  woman  of  action,"  said  her  son, 
with  a  hollow  laugh.  "  Always  an  arbitrary  and 
drastic  old  woman  in  the  execution  of  her  ideas." 

Northcote  kissed  his  mother  again  with  the  pride 
and  affection  which  for  the  moment  overlay  this 
wound. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  she,  with  an  air  of  one  who 
has  come  upon  something  profound,  "  why  men  have 
such  a  dislike  to  being  taken  by  surprise.  Your 
father  was  the  same,  Henry.  He  could  not  bear  to 
be  taken  by  surprise  in  anything.  And  I  think  you 
are  wonderfully  like  your  father  in  some  things." 

"  What  is  your  opinion  of  this  room  of  mine?  " 
said  her  son  abruptly. 

"  I  don't  think  I  like  it,"  she  said  decisively, 
after  making  a  catalogue  of  everything  with  an 
immensely  critical  glance.  "  It  has  a  dismal  look. 
And  a  hole  in  the  roof,  I  declare !  You  must  have 
it  mended  at  once;  it  might  help  you  to  catch  a 
cold.  And  you  are  right  up  at  the  top  just  under 
the  tiles;  I  should  think  you  must  get  frozen  in 
winter.  And  it  must  be  extremely  draughty  with 
those  cracks  in  the  door.  And,  my  dear  boy,  I  must 
say  it  looks  very  bare  and  untidy  with  not  even  a 
piece  of  carpet  to  the  floor.    I  have  meant  for  years 

353 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

to  come  and  see  you;  and  when  I  received  that 
money  you  so  kindly  sent  me,  I  thought  now  or 
never  is  the  time.  How  I  wish  I  could  have  come 
before,  to  have  made  you  a  little  more  comfort- 
able!" 

"How  I  wish  you  could,  old  woman!"  said 
Northcote  gently,  taking  both  her  hands. 

"  I  think  this  room  is  rather  sweet  myself,"  said 
the  girl,  who  also  had  been  examining  it  very 
critically.  **  Somehow  every  room  looks  sweet 
with  a  nice  fire  and  a  lot  of  books." 

"  That  unnecessarily  large  grate  takes  all  the 
heat  up  the  chimney,"  said  Mrs.  Northcote,  "  and 
moreover  is  very  wasteful  of  the  coal.  And  what 
have  you  got  behind  the  curtain,  Henry?" 

"  That  is  where  I  sleep." 

"Well,  that  is  sensible,  my  boy;  a  saving  of 
money." 

"  What  a  large  room  this  must  be  altogether !  " 
said  the  girl,  with  a  sudden  growth  of  her  curiosity. 

"  I  can  see  neither  of  you  will  rest  until  you  have 
penetrated  into  the  heart  of  all  my  mysteries,"  said 
Northcote,  laughing  loudly,  as  he  interposed  himself 
between  the  entrance  to  his  chamber  and  his 
mother,  who,  full  of  inquiry,  was  plucking  at  the 
curtain. 

"  Why,  Henry,"  cried  the  girl,  with  a  thrill  of 
consternation  in  her  voice,  "  you  have  not  had  your 
breakfast!" 

"Why  should  I?  This  is  not  Chittingdon,  you 
know.  Eleven  o'clock  is  the  fashionable  hour  in 
town.    It  wants  ten  minutes  yet." 

"  Bad  habits,"  said  Mrs.  Northcote  solemnly. 
"  My  dearest,  eleven  o'clock  is  wrong." 

354 


r 


THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

"  When  one  is  in  Rome  you  must  do  like  the 
Romans,  you  know." 

"  I  have  never  agreed  with  that  proverb,"  said 
Mrs.  North  cote.  "  I  consider  it  weak.  When  in 
Rome  one  should  make  the  Romans  do  as  one  does." 

"  Imagine  me  knocking  at  the  gates  of  Bucking- 
ham Palace  at  a  quarter  to  seven." 

"  I  am  quite  sure,  my  dear  boy,  the  royal  family 
is  addicted  to  good  habits.  I  am  quite  sure  you 
would  not  find  the  king  having  his  breakfast  at 
eleven  o'clock." 

"  Oh,  this  dear  dogmatic  old  woman  of  mine," 
said  Northcote,  tapping  her  cheek  in  tender  remon- 
strance. "  A  fixed  rule  and  a  definite  opinion  for 
everything  under  the  sun." 

"  You  must  have  fixed  rules  and  definite  opinions 
if  you  are  to  succeed,  my  dear  boy.  Those  who 
have  their  doubts  always  end  by  failing  miserably." 

"  So  they  do,  old  woman,  so  they  do !  "  cried 
Northcote  fervently,  in  spite  of  being  stabbed  by 
consternation.  Yet  he  never  conversed  with  his 
mother  on  the  most  trivial  topics  without  feeling 
that  her  simplicity  rendered  her  invulnerable. 

"  I  see  your  table  is  laid  for  two,  Henry,"  said 
the  girl.     "  Are  you  expecting  a  friend  ?  " 

"  If  he  comes,  he  comes,"  said  Northcote,  with 
a  clever  assumption  of  carelessness,  "  and  if  he 
don't  he  stops  away.  Do  you  understand.  Miss 
Inquisitive?  I  generally  have  an  extra  knife  and 
fork,  you  know,  in  case  a  friend  should  happen  to 
drop  in." 

"  He  will  have  a  wretched  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing if  he  comes,"  said  the  girl,  taking  off  her  gloves 
gaily,  and  fishing  out  the  fork  and  the  bacon  from 

355 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

among  the  ashes.  *'  I  must  say,  Henry,  whoever 
your  friends  may  be,  they  cannot  be  very  nice  about 
their  cookery." 

"  Consecrated  by  the  cook,  don't  you  see.  Miss 
Impertinence.  That  bacon  is  toasted  by  mine  own 
fair  hands." 

''  Really,  my  boy,"  said  his  mother,  "  you  have 
grown  most  Bohemian  in  your  ways." 

She  took  off  a  pair  of  shabby  and  much-mended 
gloves  with  that  air  of  resolution  she  imparted  to 
her  lightest  kction,  and  insisted  on  being  allowed 
to  make  the  tea.  She  measured  two  spoonfuls  of 
tea  from  the  caddy  with  great  care. 

'*  I  allow  myself  three  spoonfuls  now  I  live  in 
London,"  said  her  son. 

"  Three  is  extravagance,  Henry,  three  is  not  nec- 
essary," said  his  mother  quietly.  "  One  for  each 
person  and  one  for  the  pot  is  correct." 

"  Suppose  a  friend  turns  up?  " 

"  More  can  be  made.  I  fear  you  have  formed 
very  bad  habits  in  London." 

"  We  have  a  surprise  for  you,  Henry,"  said  the 
girl  gaily. 

She  left  the  room  to  fetch  a  basket  she  had  left 
at  the  top  of  the  stairs. 

"  Guess  what  we  have  brought  for  you,"  she 
cried  as  she  produced  it. 

"  Butter  and  eggs." 

'*  How  awfully  clever  that  you  should  have 
guessed  them  at  once,"  she  said,  with  her  eager- 
ness sinking  into  disappointment. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  never  had  any  tact  worth  men- 
tioning," said  Northcote.  "  It  was  very  stupid  of 
me  to  have  guessed  butter  and  eggs." 

356 


THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

"  But  we  have  brought  you  some  holly  as  well,'* 
said  Margaret,  a  little  mollified.  "  Christmas  will 
soon  be  here." 

"  I  am  so  glad  I  was  not  clever  enough  to  guess 
holly,"  said  Northcote. 

The  contents  of  the  basket  were  unpacked  and 
laid  along  the  books  on  the  writing-table.  He  had 
to  submit,  not  without  a  passage  of  arms,  to  hav- 
ing an  egg  cooked  for  his  immediate  delectation. 
His  mother  also  insisted  on  being  allowed  to  toast 
him  a  slice  of  bread. 

"  You  are  spoiling  me  completely,"  said  North- 
cote, being  forced  at  last  into  making  a  pretence 
of  eating  after  his  own  half-hearted  offers  of  hos- 
pitality had  been  uncompromisingly  repelled. 

By  an  effort  of  the  will  that  seemed  superhuman 
to  himself  he  forced  himself  to  swallow  a  few 
mouthfuls,  yet  as  he  did  so  he  followed  the  smallest 
movements  of  his  guests.  One  eye  never  left  the 
curtain  that  ran  across  the  room.  Whenever  one 
or  the  other  of  his  too  curious  visitors  was  seen  to 
approach  it  incautiously  he  made  ready  to  spring 
to  his  feet. 

The  only  alleviation  to  the  bareness  of  the  walls 
was  several  photographic  groups  of  football-play- 
ers, over  which  velvet  caps  decorated  with  tassels 
were  suspended. 

"  See  that  group  in  the  middle  ?  "  said  North- 
cote. "  Look  at  it  well.  That  is  the  finest  pack  that 
ever  turned  out  for  England.  We  walloped  Wales 
twenty-nine  points  to  three.  Pushed  'em  all  over 
the  shop.  Notice  that  little  chap  sitting  between 
my  legs.  He  was  a  half  if  you  like.  Cunning  as 
a  trout  and  quicker  than  a  hare." 

357 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  I  think,  my  dear  boy,  this  is  perfectly  unin- 
teresting," said  his  mother,  fixing  her  spectacles 
and  examining  the  photograph  sternly.  *'  This  is  a 
stupid  pursuit,  not  only  a  waste  of  time,  but  also 
a  waste  of  money.  It  has  been  the  ruin  of  many 
young  men.  One  of  these  days  it  might  even  prove 
to  be  the  ruin  of  England." 

"  All  work  and  no  play,  my  dear,"  said  her  son, 
"  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy,  you  know.  Personally  I 
would  suggest  that  a  game  like  football  is  a  rare 
training  for  the  character." 

"  I  think  football  is  a  fine  and  manly  game, 
Henry,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  little  air  of  defiance. 
"  I  shall  never  forget  seeing  you  come  home  with 
yotir  twisted  knee." 

"  The  doctor's  bill  was  thirty  pounds,"  said  Mrs. 
Northcote  simply. 

These  words,  spoken  in  a  manner  that  was  almost 
childlike,  came  upon  Northcote  with  the  force  of 
a  blow.  He  was  perfectly  accustomed  to  his 
mother's  voice  and  manner,  that  voice  and  manner 
which  were  so  direct  and  so  unqualified.  But  for 
the  first  time  they  had  driven  a  deep  flush  of  shame 
to  his  cheek.  This  dauntless  unimaginative  crea- 
ture, who  measured  spoonfuls  of  tea,  who  counted 
pennies,  whose  staff  of  life  was  hard  facts,  what 
had  she  not  performed  at  the  call  of  her  religion? 
What  lions  had  she  not  removed  from  the  path  of 
this  one  ewe  lamb  of  hers,  in  order  that  one  day 
he  should  win  his  way  to  the  kingdom  she  had 
designed  for  him?  Night  and  day,  year  after  year, 
had  she  labored  with  this  object  in  view.  He  was 
her  only  son,  and  material  greatness  was  to  be  his 
destiny.     He  recalled  the  unflinching  figure  of  this 

358 


THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

woman  tramping  over  the  moors  in  the  depth  of 
winter,  through  rain  and  wind,  through  frost  and 
snow,  to  earn  a  pittance  by  her  tutelage ;  he  recalled 
the  resolution  with  which  she  performed  the  mean- 
est household  duties  in  order  that  money  might  be 
saved;  he  recalled  her  sitting  beneath  the  insuf- 
ficient light  of  a  lamp  through  the  midnight  hours, 
transcribing,  for  the  sake  of  a  few  miserable  sov- 
ereigns, foreign  masterpieces  out  of  their  native 
French,  German,  and  Italian  into  trite,  colorless, 
and  rather  wearisome  English  prose.  All  in  an 
instant  Northcote  seemed  to  be  fascinated,  over- 
come, by  the  sudden  revelation  of  the  pathetic 
beauty  of  the  commonplace. 

"  I  won't  have  you  think  I  have  become  idle  and 
extravagant,"  he  said,  rising  from  the  table  and 
placing  both  his  hands  on  her  shoulders.  "  You  see 
I  have  had  to  fight  my  battle,  and  a  long,  a  stern, 
a  lonely  one  it  has  been.  What  was  I  in  the  midst 
of  six  millions  of  fighters,  most  of  them  as  sturdy, 
as  fierce,  and,  in  many  cases,  far  better  equipped 
than  I  was  myself?  But  I  must  tell  you,  my  dear, 
I  believe  I  have  conquered  at  last.  I  think  I  have 
got  the  turn  of  the  tide.  If  health  and  strength 
remain  to  me,  and  never  in  my  life  have  I  been 
physically  more  robust  than  I  am  at  present,  I  am 
about  to  make  an  income  at  the  bar  which,  to  frugal 
people  like  you  and  me,  mammy,  will  seem  fabu- 
lous wealth.  For  I  ought  to  tell  you  i  won  my 
first  big  case  the  day  before  yesterday,  and  i  think 
I  am  entitled  to  say  I  made  an  impression." 

"  I  know  that  you  saved  that  poor  woman,  my 
dearest  boy,"  said  his  mother,  with  a  tenderness 
that  was  almost  grim. 

359 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Tell  me,  by  what  means  did  you  learn  that  ?  '* 

"  I  walked  over  to  the  Hall  and  borrowed  the 
Age  of  Sir  John." 

"  The  Age! "  said  her  son,  in  a  tone  that  had 
a  thrill  of  horror  in  it.  "  Why  walk  all  that  dis- 
tance to  the  Hall  to  get  a  look  at  the  Age  when 
Parson  Nugent  would  have  been  only  too  pleased 
to  lend  you  his  Banner  f  " 

"  The  reason  is  this,  my  dear  boy,"  said  his 
mother  impressively.  "  All  my  life  I  have  been 
accustomed  to  look  upon  the  Age  as  the  first  Eng- 
lish newspaper." 

"  I  expect  you  are  right,  you  dear  old  Amazon," 
said  her  son,  strangling  a  groan. 

"  No,  Henry,  I  am  not  right.  I  am  prepared  to 
believe  there  was  a  time  when  the  Age  was  the  first 
English  newspaper,  but  in  my  opinion  it  is  so  no 
longer.  I  shall  never  place  my  trust  in  the  Age 
again." 

"  A  heavy  blow  for  Printing  Press  Square,"  said 
Northcote,  laughing  to  restrain  his  tears. 

"  I  consider  that  leading  article  it  had  about  the 
trial,  and  the  terms  in  which  it  referred  to  you,  my 
boy,  to  be  a  disgrace  to  English  journalism.  In 
fact,  I  wrote  to  the  editor  to  say  so." 

"  What  did  you  find  to  say  to  the  editor?  "  asked 
Northcote  feebly. 

"  I  said  it  was  contemptible  that  a  newspaper  of 
such  a  widespread  influence  as  the  Age  should  lend 
itself  to  a  faction  whose  aim  was  to  suppress  young 
men  of  talent." 

"  And  what  had  the  editor  to  say  to  that?  " 

"  Very  wisely  he  did  not  reply.  Perhaps  I  was 
somewhat   severe   in    my    letter,    but    I    felt   very 

360 


THE  HONORABLE  SECRETARY 

strongly  upon  the  point  and  I  do  not  regret  that  I 
expressed  myself  at  length." 

*'  In  the  name  of  wonder,  what  else  did  you  say 
to  the  editor?" 

"  I  said  this  faction  of  which  I  complained  had 
been  very  mischievous  in  its  influence  in  this  coun- 
try, but  in  the  end  it  had  always  failed  in  its  object, 
as  in  the  end,  Henry,  everything  that  is  merely 
negative  and  destructive  and  retardatory  must  fail. 
I  cited  the  cases  of  Benjamin  Disraeli  and  the  poet 
Keats." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Northcote,  with  a  dull  sense  of 
agony  overspreading  his  veins,  "  it  could  not  occur 
to  you,  old  woman,  that  by  any  possibility  the  Age 
was  justified  in  the  course  it  took?  " 

"  It  could  not,  Henry,"  said  his  mother. 

Her  air  of  finality  bewildered  him.  Yet  involun- 
tarily he  raised  his  eyes  to  her  face,  and,  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life  as  he  looked  at  it,  he  was  able 
to  penetrate  through  its  heroic  commonness.  The 
features  were  harsh  and  aggressive  and  scarcely  lit 
by  the  mind,  but  the  rigidity  of  such  a  nature  in 
the  teeth  of  public  opinion  had  appeared  to  shed 
over  them  a  little  of  the  bloom  that  proceeds  from 
the  elevation  of  the  intellect.  It  was  a  kind  of 
apotheosis  of  the  power  of  faith.  Her  eyes  were 
deep  blue,  strangely  unfearing  and  clear,  wide- 
lidded,  steady  in  their  gaze.  It  was  little  enough 
that  they  had  the  capacity  to  see,  but  whatever 
they  lacked  in  range  derived  compensation  from 
mere  force  of  vision.  They  were  inaccessible  to 
the  changes  which  are  wrought  by  influences  from 
without.  Whatever  they  had  looked  on  once  could 
never  be  modified  by  external  causes. 

361 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

Northcote  carried  the  toil-stained  hand  to  his 
lips  with  a  reverence  that  was  more  profound  than 
any  he  had  ever  felt  for  it  before. 

"  Every  man  needs  to  have  known  one  truly 
good  woman,"  he  said,  strengthening  his  grasp  of 
the  roughened  fingers,  "  before  he  can  even  begin 
his  own  education." 

It  darkened  his  eyes  to  see  the  muscles  of  the 
harsh  face  relax  as  they  yielded  to  the  slight  soft- 
ness of  an  infrequent  emotion. 

"  Your  father  was  constantly  making  speeches 
like  these,"  she  said,  with  that  simplicity  which  was 
so  formidable.  "  I  was  never  able  to  understand 
them." 


362 


XXXVII 

INDELIBLE   EVIDENCE 

For  some  time  Northcote  stood  holding  her  hand 
and  looking  down  into  her  eyes.  A  sense  of  deep 
wonder  was  percolating  slowly  to  every  part  of 
his  being.  What  a  haven  was  here  to  embrace  when 
the  frail  bark  of  his  nature  had  been  flung,  like  the 
cockle-shell  that  it  was,  upon  the  crest  of  tempestu- 
ous and  multitudinous  seas.  How  blind  and  un- 
developed he  had  been  not  to  have  understood  this 
before!  From  what  ignominy  could  this  anchor- 
age have  saved  him!  It  would  not  have  been  nec- 
essary to  founder  upon  the  shoals  had  he  been 
aware  of  this  harbor  that  would  have  been  so  will- 
ing to  embrace  him.  He  was  already  broken  into 
pieces;  and  those  tears  which  appeared  to  suffuse 
his  eyes  with  such  facility  and  to  suffuse  hers  with 
such  a  painful  reluctance  were  falling  from  him. 

"  You  must  ignore  that  unmannerly  attack  in 
the  Age,"  she  said  in  a  stem  voice  which  yet  was 
full  of  redress.  "  The  enemies  of  the  friendless 
have  no  kingdom  into  which  they  can  enter.  A 
few  years  hence,  when  you  are  a  rich  and  honored 
man,  you  will  forgive  them  for  having  once  stabbed 
you." 

The  silence  which  followed  her  words  was  broken 
by  the  hard  and  intense  breathing  of  the  figure  that 
clasped  her. 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  shall  ask  of  you,"  said 

3^3 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

Northcote  at  last.  "  I  shall  ask  you  to  give  me  the 
pledge  from  your  own  lips  that  you  will  always 
believe  in  me  as  completely  as  you  do  at  this  mo- 
ment, whatever  doubts,  charges,  or  suspicion  the 
future  hurls  against  me." 

"  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  give  this  assur- 
ance, but,  since  you  demand  it,  I  give  it." 

"  It  is  part  of  my  weakness  to  demand  it,"  said 
her  son,  *'  although  none  is  so  well  aware  as  am 
I  that  there  is  no  need  to  give  expression  to  your 
faith." 

"  As  you  say,  there  is  no  need.  But  I  remember 
your  father  saying  to  me  shortly  before  that  illness 
which  was  fatal  to  him,  the  greater  the  gifts  the 
greater  the  lenity  to  be  meted  out  to  their  unhappy 
possessors.  On  that  account  I  have  always  treated 
you  with  more  indulgence  than  otherwise  I  should 
have  done." 

''  Had  you  been  more  Spartan  you  might  have 
strangled  the  genie  at  its  birth." 

"  I  might." 

"  And  yet  made  of  its  possessor  a  more  upright 
and  God-fearing  citizen." 

"  That  is  impossible." 

**  You  never  could  conceive  of  his  being  other 
than  you  see  him  now  ?  " 

"  I  could  not." 

"  Even  if  the  indelible  evidence  were  laid  before 
you?" 

"  Evidence  is  never  indelible  to  us.  So-called 
facts  have  no  worth  in  our  eyes.  We  believe  or  we 
do  not  believe.  Nothing  changes  our  emotions; 
they  are  what  we  understand  by  religion." 

"  You  speak  for  wise  and  great  women." 
364 


INDELIBLE    EVIDENCE 

"  I  speak  for  the  humblest  of  wives  and  mothers 
who  cannot  accept  credit  for  blind  obedience  to  an 
instinct  which  alone  gives  her  life." 

"  I  begin  to  understand  why  even  the  most  im- 
perious natures,  which  are  as  ruthless  as  volcanoes 
in  action,  cannot  live  without  your  aid.  It  is  not 
that  you  enslave  and  fetter  them;  your  function  is 
to  cleanse,  renew,  rehabilitate." 

As  Northcote  spoke  a  feeling  of  profound  joy 
overspread  the  humiliation  whose  penalties  had 
been  far  more  grievous  to  him  than  those  of 
despair.  Hardly  had  he  tasted  it,  however,  than 
the  nightmare  at  the  back  of  his  thoughts  assumed 
a  visible  shape.  Of  a  sudden  there  came  a  sharp 
screech  from  the  curtain.  Margaret,  who  through- 
out the  conversation  with  his  mother  had  been  en- 
gaged in  fixing  pieces  of  holly  over  the  photographs 
on  the  wall,  was  still  employed  in  this  decoration. 
It  was  not  she  who  was  responsible  for  the  sudden 
shrieking  of  the  brass  rings  along  the  curtain  pole. 

With  a  single  comprehensive  movement  the  cur- 
tain had  been  flung  back  and  the  bed  revealed. 
Seated  upon  it,  half-dressed,  with  her  hair  hang- 
ing loose,  and  her  bare  arms  exposed  by  her  che- 
mise, was  his  visitor  of  the  previous  night.  Half  a 
dozen  hairpins  were  stuck  in  a  row  in  her  mouth. 
In  the  cold  grayness  of  the  December  morning, 
which  seemed  to  envelop  her  malignity  in  a  bald 
realism,  her  features  appeared  blunt,  pale,  and  hide- 
ous. The  almost  incredibly  bitter  and  mocking 
glance  was  not  directed  upon  the  man,  but  upon 
the  elderly,  unprepossessing,  and  countrified  figure 
in  the  shabby  clothes  and  antique  hat  whom  he  was 
holding  by  the  hand. 

365 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

Northcote  let  the  hand  fall,  and  recoiled  from 
his  mother  with  a  gasp  of  fear  mixed  with  passion. 

The  young  girl,  whom  life  had  done  nothing  to 
enlighten,  stood  in  dumb  amazement  upon  the  chair 
on  which  she  was  poised. 

There  was  a  moment  in  which  the  older  woman 
quivered  with  terror.  The  brutal  eyes  of  the  pros- 
titute, fixed  upon  her  face  with  a  blunt  contempt, 
seemed  to  change  her  into  stone.  Observing  her  to 
be  petrified  like  a  bird  in  the  presence  of  a  serpent, 
the  woman  seated  upon  the  bed  picked  the  row  of 
hairpins  from  between  her  teeth  with  the  circum- 
spection of  an  actress  who,  upon  the  stage,  is  notori- 
ous for  her  power,  and  who,  having  a  stupendous 
scene  to  enact,  prepares  her  audience  for  it  by  a 
display  of  quietude.  She  proceeded  to  coil  up  her 
hair  with  a  deliberation  that  had  value  as  drama. 

"  Vice-president  of  the  Great  Trades'  Union,"  she 
said,  removing  the  last  hairpin  from  her  mouth. 

The  elder  woman  stood  looking  helplessly  away. 
Those  indomitable  eyes  were  cowed  for  the  first 
time  in  their  history.  For  the  first  time  they  had 
come  upon  something  upnDn  which  they  had  no  opin- 
ion to  deliver.  She  had  barely  the  strength  to  carry 
her  gaze  to  her  son,  who  stood  ten  paces  from  her  as 
pale  and  rigid  as  a  statue. 

"  Better  go  —  better  take  Peggy,"  he  whispered 
in  a  voice  that  she  did  not  know  to  be  his. 

Margaret,  still  holding  the  holly,  had  come  down 
from  the  chair,  and  like  a  child  had  come  to  stand 
at  the  side  of  her  natural  protectress.  She  was 
visibly  afraid;  and  she  had  clutched  the  holly  so 
tightly  that  blood  was  trickling  from  the  wounds  in 
her  soft  fingers. 

366  ^ 


INDELIBLE    EVIDENCE 

The  spectacle  of  her  childishness  restored  to  the 
elder  woman  that  capacity  for  action  which  she  was 
never  without. 

"  Get  your  coat  and  gloves,  child,"  she  said  in 
her  harsh  tones.     "Where's  the  basket?" 

She  herself  took  up  the  basket,  and,  without  ven- 
turing to  look  at  her  son  or  her  who  sat  upon  the 
bed,  neither  of  whom  had  changed  their  postures 
nor  spoken  again,  she  led  the  way  out  with  resolute 
steps  to  the  top  of  the  stairs.  The  young  girl  fol- 
lowed in  her  wake  with  a  timid  obedience,  pulling 
on  her  cotton  gloves  over  her  bleeding  fingers  as 
she  went. 

At  the  head  of  the  stairs  this  new  resolution  of 
the  elder  woman's  appeared  to  fail  her. 

"  Go  down,  child ;  take  the  basket.  I  will  follow 
you  in  a  minute,"  she  said,  handing  the  basket  to 
the  girl. 

She  turned  suddenly  and  went  back  into  the  room. 
Her  son  was  still  standing  in  the  attitude  in  which 
she  had  left  him.  There  was  a  curious  glare  in  his 
eyes.  Advancing  to  him  she  placed  her  hands  on 
his  shoulders,  pressed  her  lips  against  his  forehead, 
and  then,  in  a  kind  of  headlong  flight,  darted  away 
like  a  rabbit  out  of  the  room  and  down  the  stairs. 


367 


XXXVIII 

CLEANSING   FIRE 

This  irrational  proceeding  served  to  liberate 
Northcote  from  his  thrall.  Even  as  he  felt  his 
mother's  lips  and  witnessed  her  ridiculous  flight, 
he  was  able  to  divine  the  nature  of  the  impulse.  It 
was  the  expression  of  that  unconquerable  instinct 
by  which  her  sex  afiirms  itself. 

He  walked  to  the  window  which  commanded  a 
view  of  the  pavements  below.  He  watched  the  two 
figures  mingle  in  all  their  rustic  quaintness  with 
the  heterogeneous  streams  of  persons  and  traffic 
which  defiled  before  his  gaze.  It  followed  their 
every  deviation  among  this  ruthless  swarm  of  Lon- 
doners until  they  were  swallowed  by  the  mist  of 
the  December  morning.  The  last  detail  he  was  able 
to  discern,  which  served  to  emphasize  their  slightly 
ridiculous  character  as  seen  from  this  altitude,  was 
the  large  empty  basket  bobbing  about  in  the  hand 
of  the  girl.  Their  rusticity  in  combination  with 
the  wild  hurry  of  their  flight  marked  them  out  as 
almost  grotesque  among  the  spruce  and  purposeful 
crowd  through  which  they  made  their  way.  With 
a  pang  he  remembered  that  neither  of  them  had 
ever  seen  the  metropolis  before.  Whither  were  they 
flying?  How  would  they  spend  their  day?  What 
would  be  the  end  of  their  ill-starred  adventure? 

He  continued  to  strain  his  eyes  after  them  until 
they  grew  dark  with  the  effort.     He  then  left  the 

368 


CLEANSING   FIRE 

window  and  turned  round  to  find  that  his  visitor 
was  standing  in  front  of  the  fire.  She  was  yawn- 
ing. 

"  A  facer  for  the  old  Methodist,"  she  said,  with 
a  short,  nonchalant  laugh. 

Northcote  clenched  his  hands.  An  almost  un- 
governable fury  caused  his  ears  to  sing. 

"  I  know  what  is  in  your  mind,"  said  the  woman 
calmly.     "  Get  it  done." 

*'  I  hope  you  will  go,"  said  Northcote  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  Get  it  done,"  said  the  woman.  "  Tear  my  head 
from  my  body  and  I  shall  respect  you." 

Northcote  was  barely  able  to  point  to  the  door. 
The  woman  looked  at  him  with  supreme  effrontery. 
She  was  utterly  divested  of  fear.  Her  nostrils 
seemed  to  be  dilated  in  scorn,  and  her  dark  eyes 
were  full  of  mockery. 

"  I  never  saw  anything  half  so  funny,"  she  said, 
"  as  the  worthy  old  widow  of  the  clergyman  run- 
ning back  shamefaced  to  kiss  her  saint  and  hero. 
The  three  of  you  made  a  picture  for  an  almanac, 
as  my  dear  father  would  have  said.  You  reminded 
me  of  nothing  so  much  as  a  stuck  pig.  The  dear 
old  hymnologist  and  psalm-singer,  who  had  spoken 
such  brave  nonsense,  looked  just  like  a  poor  silly 
old  cow  with  a  red  face ;  and  that  stupid  little  baby- 
face  sticking  up  the  holly,  well,  she  was  just  like 
one  of  those  silly  dolls  with  wax  cheeks,  which  has 
a  button  which  you  press  and  it  changes  its  color." 

Northcote  was  faint  already  with  the  dreadful 
struggle  he  was  waging.  Suddenly,  as  if  touched 
by  inspiration,  he  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 

369 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

door.  Yet  the  woman  was  too  quick  for  him.  She 
leaped  before  him  and  barred  his  course. 

"  I  am  asking"  you  to  pluck  my  throat  out  with 
your  great  hands,"  she  cried  with  fury.  "  Don't 
you  understand,  you  fool  ?  Don't  you  understand, 
I  say?  I  cannot,  I  will  not  go  back  to  the  gutter; 
yet  I  cannot  go  anywhere  else.  Why  don't  you 
do  as  you  are  told?" 

"  Do  go !  "  he  cried  weakly,  piteously.  The 
veins  were  swelling  in  his  neck. 

He  strove  to  thrust  her  aside,  but  she  resisted 
him;  and  when  he  tried  again  she  fixed  her  strong 
teeth  in  his  hand  ferociously. 

"  Do  it  now !  "  she  cried,  watching  his  eyes  with 
the  baleful  hunger  of  a  she-wolf. 

"  You  are  not  worth  it,"  said  Northcote,  recov- 
ering possession  of  himself. 

She  spat  in  his  face. 

Northcote  began  to  realize  that  he  had  to  deal 
with  a  mad  woman. 

She  plucked  a  knife  from  the  table.  By  this  time, 
however,  the  man  had  all  his  wits  about  him,  and 
the  movement  was  anticipated.  He  had  seized  her 
before  she  could  make  use  of  it. 

He  knew  immediately  that  he  had  entered  upon 
a  terrible  struggle.  He  possessed  immense  physical 
power,  but  the  creature  upon  whom  he  had  to  exer- 
cise it  was  extremely  supple  and  vigorous,  and, 
above  all,  was  now  a  maniac.  She  fought  with  the 
fury  of  a  lioness.  Her  unbridled  rage  seemed  to 
make  her  more  than  a  match  for  him.  Screaming 
foul  oaths,  and  resorting  to  devices  that  a  wild 
beast  would  not  have  employed,  the  issue  hung  in 
the  balance.     Inch  by  inch,  however,  he  obtained  a 

370 


CLEANSING   FIRE 

stronger  purchase  on  her  body,  and  it  writhed  under 
his  great  hands  like  that  of  a  huge  snake.  He 
grunted  under  the  Titanic  exertion  of  forcing  her  to 
the  ground.  He  shifted  his  hands  to  her  throat,  and 
once  he  felt  it  yield  to  their  gripe,  his  own  pent-up 
fury  broke  forth  in  an  uncontrollable  manner. 
Hardly  conscious  of  what  he  did,  he  shook  her 
with  the  passion  of  a  wounded  bear.  She  gave  a 
low  moan,  and  a  spray  of  blood  came  on  to  her 
lips. 

It  fell  upon  him  with  a  shock  of  surprise  that  her 
struggles  had  ceased.  She  had  fallen  stiff  under 
his  hands.  When  he  relaxed  his  grip  she  fell  to 
the  ground,  measuring  her  length  with  dull  heavi- 
ness like  a  sack  of  flour.  In  an  instant  a  revolting 
idea  stifled  the  dreadful  frenzy  of  the  demoniac. 
She  was  dead.  Those  enormous  hands  of  his  had 
pressed  out  her  life  without  knowing  it. 

Overcome  with  horror,  Northcote  sank  to  his 
knees  beside  the  body.  It  was  stark,  and  already 
a  little  cold.  He  rolled  the  corpse  over,  so  that 
its  face  was  exposed ;  he  felt  for  the  beating  of  the 
heart.  There  was  not  a  movement  of  any  sort  to 
enkindle  his  touch.  The  face  was  convulsed,  tinged 
with  purple,  mottled  with  gray.  The  eyes  were 
glazed,  and  even  more  hideous  than  when  he  looked 
into  them  last.  In  his  anguish,  he  gave  a  little  cry, 
and  rose  from  his  knees,  and  pressed  his  hands  to 
his  head. 

His  first  thought  was  for  himself.  By  this  irrev- 
ocable act  he  was  destroyed.  His  dreams  had 
come  to  a  brutally  abrupt  termination.  That  high 
destiny  which  was  to  shake  the  world  had  petered 
out  in  a  shameful  public  ignominy. 

371 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

In  a  pitiable  state  of  terror  he  fell  on  his  knees 
again.  There  was  a  sort  of  morbid  reflex  action 
within  him  that  seemed  to  draw  him  back  to  the 
body,  to  force  him  to  pass  his  hands  across  the 
corpse.  It  was  now  cold.  A  stinging  fury  made 
him  writhe.  Was  it  for  this  foul,  uncanny  monster 
that  he  must  forfeit  one  of  the  most  precious  jewels 
that  had  ever  been  devised  by  nature?  He  was  a 
young  man;  life  was  before  him;  there  was  the 
magic  talisman  in  his  spirit  that  could  bend  the 
whole  world  to  his  purposes.  He  gnashed  his  teeth 
with  impotent  fury,  and  rose  biting  at  his  nails. 

"  This  is  a  dreadful  tragedy,"  he  muttered. 
"  This  is  a  dreadful  tragedy.  Think  of  such  a  one 
as  myself  being  lost  to  mankind." 

His  own  grotesque  words  caused  him  to  laugh. 
That  surprising  genie,  that  had  been  destined  to 
conquer  a  stupidly  material  world,  enabled  him  to 
present  himself  to  himself  in  his  amazing  predica- 
ment. He  could  hardly  preserve  his  gravity  before 
a  spectacle  so  astonishing. 

"  The  genie  is  deriding  me,"  he  said. 

That  mute  and  distorted  face  that  was  looking 
up  at  him  with  an  insane  leer  had  no  message  of 
its  own.  It  was  only  significant  to  the  advocate 
as  the  price  of  all  that  he  was  about  to  give  up. 
Yet  suddenly  he  remembered  this  strange  creature 
he  had  broken  with  his  hands  as  he  had  first  en- 
countered her  in  the  prison.  In  no  animate  thing 
could  the  desire  for  life  have  been  more  intensely 
strong.  Overmastering  as  was  his  own  desire 
at  this  moment,  hers,  at  that  time,  had  been  no  less 
so.  She  must  have  life;  she  must  see  the  sun  and 
the  clouds  and  the  trees.     The  common  earth  had 

372 


CLEANSING   FIRE 

acquired  fresh  symbols  for  that  debauched  vision. 
And  how  nearly  she  had  come  to  possess  this 
strange  new  thing  that  she  craved.  One  heaven- 
bom  man  had  all  but  given  it  to  her.  He  had  so 
nearly  done  so,  that  for  one  brief  instant  she  had 
been  able  to  taste  it  with  those  blood-stained  lips. 
And  when  she  had  discovered  that  strong  and  shin- 
ing as  this  one  man  was,  his  was  not  the  divine 
valiance  of  those  early  mystics  who  roamed  the 
hills  in  the  childhood  of  the  world,  that  he  had  not 
the  simplicity  to  provide  her  with  that  which  she 
craved,  she  insisted  on  receiving  death  at  his  hands 
in  lieu  of  the  life  he  could  not  give  her. 

It  was  then  that  he  took  a  little  compassion.  It 
was  a  loathsome  and  terrible  destiny  to  which  this 
human  being  had  been  called.  By  what  subtle  twist 
or  abrogation  of  her  noble  faculties  had  she  come 
to  live  her  days  on  such  lines  as  these.  This  avowed 
and  ruthless  enemy  of  society  had  been  of  no  com- 
mon or  spurious  clay.  It  was  not  a  small  nature 
that  had  taken  a  revenge  so  bitter.  A  little  more 
and  it  had  been  how  much  ?  Another  grain  of  cour- 
age, another  ounce  of  power,  and  she,  too,  poor 
maimed  and  twisted  thing  of  beauty,  would  have 
been  numbered  among  the  valiant. 

It  added  a  sharp  touch  to  her  slayer's  com- 
passion, that,  in  regarding  her  mutilated  image, 
she  became  the  mirror  of  his  own.  He  saw  the 
parallel  between  the  living  and  the  dead.  Every 
point  in  this  analogy  was  so  perfect  that  a  mental 
fascination  lurked  in  its  rendering.  Did  the  texture 
of  his  own  fate  admit  of  any  more  lenient  inquiry? 
He  also  would  have  entered  his  kingdom  had  he 
but  possessed  the  little  more  that  meant  so  much. 

373 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

Were  they  not  both  in  the  beginning  the  victims 
of  a  fine  and  original  talent,  for  she  whom  he  had 
slain  had  been  the  offspring  of  a  man  of  the  first 
genius.  Her  thoughts  were  his  thoughts;  her  de- 
sires were  his  desires;  the  tragedy  of  each  had 
been  that  their  fineness  had  been  immolated  upon  the 
altar  of  its  base  surroundings;  both  had  failed  to 
scale  those  precipitous  mountain-places  from  which 
alone  it  was  possible  to  stand  in  true  perspective 
to  their  own  characters. 

As  he  pressed  home  this  analogy  with  that  curi- 
ous grim  subtlety  that  was  always  one  of  his  chief 
pleasures  to  employ,  he  began  to  feel  in  his  own 
veins  that  intense  desire  of  hers  to  live  the  life  that 
nature  had  appointed,  to  discover  an  ampler,  a  truer 
self-expression.  How  was  it  possible  to  arrest 
those  functions  that  had  not  had  an  opportunity 
to  fulfil  themselves?  There  was  a  ravishing  vigor 
in  his  blood;  he  must  not  perish  as  a  felon,  he  to 
whom  all  things  were  so  full  of  meaning. 

The  overwhelming  force  of  these  thoughts  trans- 
lated them  into  action.  It  had  already  come  to  him 
that  to  obey  his  overmastering  desire  he  must  con- 
ceal his  deed.  He  raised  the  heavy  corpse  in  his 
arms;  yet  powerful  as  he  was  it  proved  too  much 
for  him  to  bear.  Therefore  he  dragged  it  across 
the  room,  and  with  herculean  labor  contrived  to 
hoist  it  on  to  the  bed.  He  then  drew  the  curtain 
across  to  hide  it  from  the  view  of  those  who  should 
chance  to  enter  the  room.  Afterwards  he  proceeded 
to  ponder  the  evolution  of  a  means  to  ensure  his 
own  personal  security. 

He  was  still  engrossed  with  this  occupation  when 
the  old  charwoman   entered  his  room.      She  had 

374 


CLEANSING   FIRE 

brought  him  some  clean  linen.  It  was  contained 
in  a  basket  which  it  was  her  custom  to  deposit  on 
a  chair  behind  the  curtain  at  the  foot  of  his  bed. 

"  You  can  leave  it  here,  Mrs.  Brown,"  said 
Northcote,  indicating  with  his  finger  a  place  on  the 
floor. 

"  I  had  better  take  it  out  of  the  way,  sir,"  said 
the  old  woman.  "  Besides,  I  have  not  made  the 
bed." 

"Never  mind  the  bed,"  said  Northcote;  "that 
won't  matter  at  all." 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,  it  would  never  do  for  you  not  to 
have  your  bed  made,"  said  the  old  woman,  in  a 
tone  of  quiet  but  determined  expostulation. 

"  I  tell  you  I  don't  want  it  made,"  said  North- 
cote.    "  You  can  go." 

The  tone  of  his  voice  seemed  to  strike  the  old 
woman.  Formerly  he  had  always  been  kind  and 
gentle  to  her ;  he  had  never  used  such  a  tone  to  her 
before. 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  she  said  meekly,  looking  at 
him  with  scared  eyes. 

Still,  however,  with  a  perversity  which  in  the 
circumstances  he  could  only  regard  as  diabolical, 
she  did  not  go.  For  suddenly  she  recollected  that 
the  day  before  she  had  lost  her  shawl,  and  it  oc- 
curred to  her  now  that  it  was  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  she  had  left  it  beneath  the  bed.  It  was  not 
in  the  least  probable  that  she  would  find  it  there, 
but  one  of  those  irrational  side-currents  to  mental 
activity,  which  science  finds  so  baffling,  had  sug- 
gested to  her  that  she  might. 

"What  do  you  want  now?"  cried  Northcote, 
as  she  moved  towards  the  curtain. 

375 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

''  I  want  my  shawl,  sir." 

Her  meekness  exasperated  him  beyond  endurance. 

"  Where  is  your  shawl  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,  it  might  be  under  the  bed." 

Her  hand  was  already  stretched  towards  the  cur- 
tain. Northcote  was  standing  against  his  writing- 
table,  and  near  his  elbow  was  the  leaden  paper- 
weight which  he  used  for  the  destruction  of  rats. 
He  took  it  in  his  hand  and  poised  it  in  a  fashion 
that  would  enable  him  to  hurl  it  with  all  his  force 
at  the  back  of  the  old  woman's  head. 

For  some  occult  reason  she  withdrew  her  hand 
from  the  curtain,  and  retired  without  pulling  it 
back. 

"  Of  course  I  remember  now,"  she  said.  "  I  lent 
my  shawl  to  Mary  Parker  while  the  snow  was 
about.  I  have  such  a  bad  memory,"  she  added 
plaintively. 

"  There  is  one  little  errand  I  should  like  you  to 
do  for  me,"  said  Northcote,  looking  at  her  calmly. 
"  Do  you  mind  fetching  me  a  gallon  of  paraffin? 
You  can  get  it  at  an  oilman's  or  an  ironmonger's. 
I  am  going  to  try  a  new  kind  of  fire." 

He  handed  her  half  a  crown. 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman. 

As  he  listened  to  her  descending  the  stairs  with 
little  toddling  steps,  he  balanced  the  paper-weight 
thoughtfully  in  the  palm  of  his  hand. 

"  Those  five  grandchildren  will  never  come  much 
nearer  to  the  workhouse,  you  perverse  old  woman," 
he  said  with  a  whimsical  laugh. 

He  had  already  formed  his  plan,  and  like  all 
subtle  minds  which  yearn  for  a  finality  which  they 
so  seldom  obtain,  the  definiteness  of  its  nature  en- 

376 


CLEANSING   FIRE 

hanced  his  capacity  for  action.  He  discarded  his 
carpet  slippers  in  favor  of  boots,  and  set  his  hat, 
gloves,  and  overcoat  in  a  place  where  he  could  take 
them  up  immediately.  He  placed  the  briefs  con- 
fided to  him  by  the  solicitor  carefully  in  his  pocket. 
There  were  no  other  portable  objects  of  value  be- 
longing to  him  except  a  quantity  of  large  and  loose 
manuscript  sheets,  numbering  some  two  thousand 
pages,  the  **  Note  towards  an  Essay  on  Optimism," 
that  fruit  of  six  years'  labor.  These  he  collected 
from  divers  drawers  in  the  writing-table,  and  piled 
them  into  one  upstanding  heap. 

He  stood  surveying  this  proud  edifice  with  a  rue- 
ful smile  when  the  old  woman  returned  at  last,  bear- 
ing a  gallon  of  paraffin  contained  in  a  tin. 

*'  Thank  you,"  he  said,  taking  it  from  her.  ''  You 
may  keep  the  change.  If  I  spoke  to  you  rather 
roughly  just  now,  I  hope  you  will  not  mind  it. 
The  fact  is,  I  have  a  great  deal  of  work  to  get 
through,  and  it  has  made  me  rather  irritable." 

The  old  charwoman,  immensely  mollified  by  the 
tone  in  which  she  was  now  addressed,  thanked  him 
humbly,  and  after  standing  a  moment  irresolutely, 
in  which  she  further  considered  the  question  of 
how  far  it  would  be  now  expedient  to  attempt  the 
making  of  the  bed,  a  daily  duty  which  with  all  her 
soul  she  yearned  to  perform,  decided  it  would  not 
be  politic  to  reopen  the  subject.  Therefore  she  re- 
tired crestfallen,  because  she  had  failed  to  carry 
out  a  regime  which  was  the  foremost  function  of 
her  life;  yet  a  little  exalted  also  by  the  apolog)^ 
which  had  been  so  feelingly  rendered  to  her  by  one 
who  wore  a  nimbus ;  and  above  all,  tremulous  with 
excitement  by  reason  of  having  ninepence  in  her 

377 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

pocket  which  was  pure  gain,  a  solid  lump  of 
treasure-trove. 

As  soon  as  she  had  gone,  Northcote  "  sported 
his  oak  "  and  locked  the  door.  It  was  indeed  nec- 
essary that  he  should  not  be  disturbed  in  his  labors ; 
and  he  took  elaborate  precautions  to  render  them 
effectual.  First  he  broke  up  all  the  chairs  he  pos- 
sessed, and  strewed  the  fragments  over  the  corpse. 
He  pulled  down  the  curtains,  and  flung  them  upon 
the  pyre.  He  gathered  several  armfuls  of  books 
of  jurisprudence  and  philosophy,  dilapidated  arti- 
cles which  had  been  purchased  second-hand,  tore 
them  in  pieces,  and  strewed  them  about.  He  pulled 
a  wooden  box  from  under  the  bed,  flung  out  the 
contents,  consisting  of  old  clothes,  and  having 
broken  up  the  box  into  splinters,  heaped  those  up 
also.  Finally,  he  gathered  in  his  arms  that  formid- 
able bundle,  the  ''  Note  towards  an  Essay  on  Op- 
timism," and  sprinkled  its  two  thousand  leaves  upon 
the  sacrifice. 

By  pressing  into  service  every  combustible  article 
the  room  contained,  the  pile  that  he  built  mounted 
up  to  the  roof.  Having  arranged  the  great  mass 
to  his  satisfaction,  he  poured  the  paraffin  over  it. 
He  then  kindled  one  of  the  splinters  of  the  chair 
into  a  fagot,  and  applied  the  lighted  end  to  one 
of  the  saturated  blankets  of  the  bed.  He  then  ran 
to  the  door,  catching  up  his  hat  and  coat  as  he 
did  so,  and  unlocked  it.  Barely  had  he  time  to  do 
this  ere  the  whole  of  the  pyre,  under  the  excitation 
of  the  oil,  had  burst  into  a  sheet  of  flame.  He 
changed  the  key,  and  locked  the  door  after  him. 

Putting  on  his  hat  and  coat  and  gloves  he  walked 
down  the  four  flights  of  stairs,  past  various  open 

378 


CLEANSING    FIRE 

doors  with  clerks  behind  them,  yet  in  so  doing 
betrayed  neither  sign  of  haste  nor  discomposure. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  last  flight  he  was  accosted  by 
an  elderly  lame  man,  who  bore  unmistakable  traces 
of  being  the  clerk  of  an  attorney. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  if  Mr.  Northcote's  chambers 
are  on  the  top  floor,  sir?"    he  asked  courteously. 

"  My  name  is  Northcote.  Can  I  be  of  service  to 
you?" 

The  clerk  opened  a  small  bag  that  he  carried,  and 
selecting  an  oblong  piece  of  paper  from  among 
half  a  dozen  similar  documents  lying  within  it, 
handed  it  to  the  advocate. 

"  Messrs.  Peberdy,  Ward,  and  Peberdy,  No.  3 
Shortt's  Yard,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  Thanks,"  said  Northcote,  placing  it  in  the  inner 
pocket  of  his  overcoat. 

At  that  moment  a  clerk  from  one  of  the  upper 
stories  came  running  down  the  stairs. 

"  The  place  is  on  fire,"  he  cried.  "  The  top  land- 
ing is  so  full  of  smoke  you  can't  go  up  to  it." 

"  I  thought  there  was  a  smell  of  burning,"  said 
Northcote.     "  I  say,  it  must  be  my  room !  " 

"If  you  are  Mr.  Northcote,  it  is  certainly  your 
room." 

The  advocate  turned  round  hastily,  and  proceeded 
to  ascend  the  steep  and  rickety  old  stairs.  He  was 
turned  back,  however,  as  he  had  anticipated,  by 
other  clerks  who  were  rtmning  down. 

"  The  place  is  on  fire,"  they  cried  excitedly. 
"  The  smoke  will  choke  you." 


379 


XXXIX 

WITHOUT    FEAR   AND   WITHOUT   STAIN 

North  COTE  made  no  further  show  of  resistance 
to  the  inevitable,  but  accompanied  the  excited  clerks 
into  Fleet  Street.  The  window  of  his  room  abut- 
ting on  to  it  had  already  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
crowd  that  thronged  its  pavements.  By  the  time 
he  had  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  road  and 
had  taken  up  his  stand  with  the  knot  of  spectators 
that  was  rapidly  assembling  at  the  end  of  a  by- 
street, the  smoke  had  increased  considerably  in 
volume. 

''  Not  much  doubt  about  there  being  a  fire,"  was 
the  verdict  of  those  around  him. 

The  bunch  of  witnesses  in  the  side  street  in- 
creased every  instant.  Persons  riding  on  the  out- 
sides  of  the  omnibuses  stood  up  to  look.  Policemen 
on  point-duty  came  out  of  the  press  of  the  traffic 
to  gaze  with  concern  and  inquiry  at  the  smoke 
which  now  was  belching  forth  in  a  black  mass. 

"  Must  ha'  begun  in  the  chimbley,"  said  one  of 
Northcote's  neighbors,  a  man  without  a  collar. 
"  That's  soot." 

"  It's  Pearmain's  Hotel,"  said  another. 

"  No,"  said  a  third,  "  it's  Shepherd's  Inn." 

*'  If  it's  Shepherd's  Inn  it  will  take  it  all,"  said 
a  fourth.  "  It  has  been  condemned  by  the  County 
Council  for  the  past  two  years.  It  is  so  crazy  it 
can  hardly  stand  up  in  a  gale." 

380 


WITHOUT  FEAR  AND  WITHOUT  STAIN 

"  It  is  rotten  and  rat-ridden  from  top  to  bottom. 
It  must  be  five  hundred  years  old." 

"  Five  'undred  me  leg,"  said  the  man  without  a 
collar.     "  It  ain't  more  than  two." 

"  Lord  Bacon  lived  in  it,  anyway." 

"  Wot  if  he  did  ?  I  tell  you  it  ain't  more  than 
two." 

The  controversialist  spat  on  the  pavement  au- 
thoritatively, and  those  who  surrounded  him,  who 
knew  he  was  wrong,  deferred  to  his  opinion  hum- 
bly. 

"  There's  the  flame,"  said  a  quiet  man  excitedly. 
"  Why  don't  they  bring  the  engines  ?  " 

"  They  want  it  to  get  a  firm  'old,"  said  the  man 
without  a  collar,  "  so  that  they  can  put  it  out  in 
style." 

"  They  will  have  something  to  go  at  when  they 
do  come,"  said  a  nervous  man,  who  wore  specta- 
cles. "  There  it  goes  through  the  roof.  Look, 
look,  see  that !  " 

There  could  be  no  measure  of  uncertainty  as  to 
the  power  the  fire  had  acquired  already.  Smoke 
and  flame  were  pouring  and  leaping  out  of  the  win- 
dows and  through  the  old  red  tiles  into  the  dull 
December  sky.  A  stern  joy  held  Northcote  as  he 
gazed.  Every  instant  of  delay  increased  his  chance. 
It  needed  a  holocaust  to  ensure  his  safety.  He  de- 
rived that  thrill  of  impersonal  satisfaction  which 
visits  a  good  craftsman  when  a  work  is  placed 
before  him  which  has  been  adequately  planned  and 
executed. 

"  The  engines  ought  to  have  been  round  from 
Fenchurch  Street  afore  now,"  said  one,  whose 
mustache  bristled  like  that  of  a  county  councillor. 

381 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  Fenchurch  Street,  did  yer  sye?  "  said  the  man 
without  a  collar.  "  Lord  love  me,  they'll  send  'em 
round  from  'Olbom." 

"  They  are  taking  a  lifetime  about  it,"  said  the 
nervous  man  in  a  voice  of  intense  anxiety. 

However,  at  that  moment  there  sounded  a  curi- 
ous rattle  of  warning-;  policemen  came  running  up, 
and  immediately  afterwards  came  the  first  of  the 
engines.  The  crowd  was  now  dense  and  the  traffic 
was  impeded.  In  the  next  few  moments  it  had  been 
stopped  altogether  and  diverted  into  side  streets. 
By  now  a  large  posse  of  constables  had  appeared, 
and  they  succeeded  in  clearing  a  space  in  which  the 
firemen  could  carry  out  their  operations.  Before 
the  hose  had  been  placed  in  position  two  other  en- 
gines had  arrived. 

Northcote  had  managed  to  place  himself  in  an 
admirable  situation  among  the  excited  throng;  and 
although  those  in  front  of  him  were  somewhat 
roughly  thrust  back  by  the  police,  he  was  able  to 
maintain  his  coign  of  vantage.  By  the  time  the 
first  spray  of  water  had  been  flung  upon  the  con- 
flagration, it  had  not  only  burnt  through  his  room 
into  the  story  beneath,  but  also  it  had  spread  some 
twenty  yards  along  the  tiles. 

"  If  it  takes  to  burning  down,  it  will  be  awk- 
ward," said  a  voice  near  him. 

**  How  it  is  spreading !  They  will  find  it  difficult 
to  keep  it  off  the  hotel." 

Northcote,  in  the  midst  of  the  frenzy  of  destruc- 
tion that  possessed  him,  now  grew  conscious  that  a 
hand  had  gripped  his  arm.  He  managed  to  turn 
his  head  sideways  and  discovered  that  his  old 
schoolfellow,  Hutton,  was  standing  next  to  him. 

382 


WITHOUT  PEAR  AND  WITHOUT  STAIN 

"  This  crazy  old  hole  has  been  waiting  for  this," 
said  Hutton.  "  It  burns  like  tinder.  If  there  are 
any  poor  devils  who  keep  there,  I  pity  them." 

'*  I'm  one,"  said  Northcote  quietly. 

"  Well,  I  call  that  really  bad  luck,"  said  his  old 
schoolfellow  fervently.  "  Upon  my  word,  it  will 
take  the  whole  place." 

*'  Job's  comforter,"  said  Northcote. 

"  I  say  though,  it  is  a  blaze !  By  Jove,  it  has  got 
into  the  hotel !  It  will  take  half  Fleet  Street  if  they 
don't  look  out." 

"  More  engines,"  said  Northcote  with  satisfac- 
tion, as  their  hideous  rattles  pierced  the  air.  "  Well, 
they  will  all  be  wanted." 

"  I  say,  though,"  said  his  companion,  with  the 
growing  excitement  of  his  surroundings  communi- 
cating itself  to  him,  "  this  is  going  to  be  really 
awful.  It  has  got  down  another  story,  and  it  is 
certainly  in  the  hotel,  and  if  they  don't  look  out  it 
will  be  in  the  bank." 

Although  half  a  dozen  engines  had  arrived  by 
this  time  and  the  supply  of  water  was  copious,  the 
fire  had  spread  on  all  sides  with  such  alarming 
rapidity  that  the  liquid  sheets  that  were  flung  upon 
it  seemed  only  to  increase  the  virulence  of  the  flames. 
The  surrounding  buildings  were  all  more  or  less 
decrepit,  while  the  old  inn  itself  had  not  the  slight- 
est resistance  to  offer  to  the  flames.  The  whole  of 
its  quadrangular  roof,  most  of  which  lay  behind, 
appeared,  as  far  as  the  onlookers  could  discern,  by 
now  to  be  involved. 

**  There  is  something  strange,  fascinating,  exhil- 
arating," said  Northcote  with  a  thrill  of  exaltation 
in  his  voice,  "  in  witnessing  a  really  great  fire.    The 

383 


HENRY   NORTHCOTE 

fire  of  London  must  have  been  the  finest  sight  the 
world  ever  saw." 

"  You  don't  appear  to  mind  very  much  about  your 
rooms,  I  must  say,"  said  his  companion.  *'  If  I 
were  looking  on  at  the  destruction  of  my  goods 
and  chattels  and  the  roof  that  protects  my  head,  I 
don't  think  I  should  be  able  to  raise  much  enthusi- 
asm for  the  spectacle." 

"  It  will  probably  take  half  Fleet  Street.  What 
is  my  wretched  little  attic  in  comparison  with 
that?" 

"  Somehow  in  the  circumstances  I  don't  think 
I  could  play  the  philosopher  myself." 

"  It  is  all  up  with  the  hotel,"  said  Northcote. 
"  It  will  be  into  a  few  of  these  newspaper  offices 
before  long.  Conceive  a  holocaust  that  places  the 
press  of  England  in  danger !  Ha,  ha,  there  goes  the 
roof  of  my  room !  " 

"  Why,  that  is  where  the  fire  began !  You  don't 
mean  to  say  the  fire  began  in  your  room  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  where  the  fire  began." 

"  No!  How  did  it  begin?  Were  you  in  it  when 
it  started?" 

"  Yes,  I  was  in  it  when  it  started." 

"No!" 

"  I  started  it  myself." 

"  Did  you  overturn  a  lamp?  Or  did  it  begin  in 
the  chimney?  " 

"  Well,  if  you  must  know,"  said  Northcote,  "  you 
shall  hear  the  true  facts.  A  lady  called  upon  me 
last  evening,  and  very  kindly  stayed  the  night.  But 
this  morning  when  I  wanted  to  turn  her  out  she  re- 
fused to  go.  And  further,  she  showed  temper  and 
made  herself  distinctly  objectionable.     Therefore  I 

384 


WITHOUT  FEAR  AND  WITHOUT  STAIN 

lost  patience  with  her,  and  being  a  man  of  my 
hands  I  twisted  her  neck.  But  when  I  had  managed 
to  do  that  —  by  Jove,  it  is  into  the  bank !  we  shall 
soon  be  able  to  reckon  the  damage  by  a  cool  million 
and  it  has  only  just  begun !  —  but  when  I  had  man- 
aged to  twist  her  neck,  the  question  arose  how  to  get 
rid  of  her  remains.  You  see  to  have  her  unvirtuous 
person  found  in  my  room  would  not  help  this 
career  at  the  bar  I  am  just  about  to  begin.  How 
could  I  get  rid  of  the  body,  that  was  the  question? 
Now  mark  the  really  fertile  mind  of  genius.  Why 
not  burn  down  the  whole  place  ?  And  that,  you  see, 
is  exactly  what  I  have  done,  although  I  will  admit 
the  idea  is  a  plagiary  from  that  excellent  old  author, 
Charles  Lamb.  You  remember  his  Chinaman  who 
burnt  down  the  house  of  his  parents  every  time  he 
wanted  to  eat  roast  pig?  " 

*'  Well,  North,  you  have  a  pretty  mind,  I  must 
say,"  said  his  companion  to  whom  this  recital,  in  the 
circumstances  which  attended  it,  had  afforded  keen 
amusement.  "  But  you  were  always  a  bit  of  a 
lunatic  at  school.  Now  if  you  had  tried  to  persuade 
me  that  you  had  insured  your  furniture,  and  that 
you  had  fired  your  place  to  keep  out  an  execution, 
I  might  have  tried  to  swallow  it." 

"  That  is  mediocrity  all  over,  my  son,"  said 
Northcote,  linking  his  arm  through  that  of  his  com- 
panion. **  It  is  always  craving  for  hard  facts.  It 
cries  aloud  for  hard  facts;  they  are  the  staff  of  its 
life,  its  daily  bread,  but  you  have  only  to  present 
hard  facts  to  it  in  a  somewhat  unconventional  form 
—  my  God,  look  at  the  bank !  —  in  a  somewhat  un- 
conventional form,  and  it  flings  them  back  in  your 
face  and  asks  you  what  you  take  it  for." 

38s 


HENRY    NORTHCOTE 

"  My  dear  old  lunatic,  what  are  you  talking 
about?" 

"  Merely  this.  Your  alternative  of  the  insurance  1 
company  and  the  furniture  is  ingenious  but  lacking' 
in  comprehensiveness.  The  insurance  company 
would,  after  the  fashion  of  insurance  companies,  J 
have  insisted  on  an  investigation  into  the  cause  of 
the  disaster;  they  might  even  have  preferred  a 
charge  against  me  to  save  themselves  a  few  wretched 
shillings ;  litigation  would  almost  certainly  have  en- 
sued —  there  goes  the  roof  of  the  hotel !  —  and  liti- 
gation which  touches  myself  is  the  last  thing  I 
should  be  willing  to  risk." 

"  All  this  is  very  elaborate.  North,  but  it  is 
hardly  convincing.  Why  are  you  so  unwilling  to 
risk  litigation  when  your  whole  life  —  and  a  rather 
important  one  I  expect  —  will  be  bound  up  in  it  ?  " 

"  The  less  my  name  is  associated  in  the  public 
mind  with  any  shady  transaction  the  better  for  my 
career." 

"  A  point  of  honor,  North.  You  always  had  the 
reputation  at  school  of  being  rather  nice  about  it." 

"  To  be  frank,  it  is  a  point  of  expedience,  my  son. 
Henceforward  you  will  find  the  notorious  *  Cad  * 
Northcote  without  fear  and  without  stain." 

"Why?" 

"  Why !  Because  one  of  these  days  they  will 
make  him  a  judge." 


THE   END. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


